


Paragraps of deceit

by Felidae5



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Jounouchi Katsuya is being shady, Kaiba Seto has an illness..sort of, M/M, Non-Consensual, Violetshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-02-26 01:11:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 24,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felidae5/pseuds/Felidae5
Summary: Jou stumbles over a secret of Kaiba's, even the CEO is unaware of, and uses it to his advantage. Apologies forehand, this story is centered around a kind-of, not-really 'medical' condition. CompleteThanks for 1000 views!





	1. l

_Paragraphs of deceit ___

___l_  
He was usually not out at this hour of the night.  
But the waning moon above him and the faint, cool breeze coming from the ocean, promising a change from the lingering heat which had captivated Domino City for the past couple of weeks, had been enough to drive Jou out of his little house and seek the tranquility of the docks.  
Alas, his repose was short-lived, because the sound of all too familiar steps announced the arrival of another person, and soon enough, a tall, slender figure came to a halt next to him.  
Jou huffed in annoyance, then asked:  
“What the heck brings ya down here, moneybags?”  
Receiving no answer, the blond turned to glare at Kaiba and blinked in surprise:  
The CEO’s normally searing, cold blue eyes were dull and vacant, his expression somewhat droopy.  
Jou almost did a double-take, when he took a closer look at the brunet’s attire.  
Although he wore his trade-marked white trenchcoat and black dress shoes, the soft blue two-piece underneath was no doubt a pajama.  
Picking his jaw from the concrete, Jounouchi croaked:  
“Ano, Kaiba, you’re -a sleepwalker?”  
Again, there was no reply.  
And then a truly devious idea rose in Jou’s brain. 

“Shizuka ni! We don’t wanna wake up otou-san!” rasped the blond, as he lead the brunet up the stairs of the run-down, middle-class house he called a home to his room.  
Had he been awake, Kaiba would have been surprised at the impeccable order reigning the Jounouchi estate and, in particular, the other teens’ room, but being fast asleep, he couldn’t care less.  
Jounouchi left Kaiba standing in his room for a moment to go check on his father and sighed in relief, when he saw the untouched bed and missing clothes.  
Good. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his old man walking in on them unexpectedly. The blond rushed back to is room where Kaiba still stood, immobile.  
Making the brunet sit down on his bed, Jou grew nervous, as he realized, that he was about to do something rather -immoral.  
Taking a deep breath, he settled himself next to Kaiba and, gently taking one of this one's large hands into his own calloused ones, hushed:  
“Uhh, listen, Kaib’, uhmm-are you even listening?”  
“Hai.”  
Jou fidgeted, as he stammered:  
“Well, uhmm, y’ see, I wanna do-something with you and -aw, hell! Kaiba, you do know, what non-consensual sex is, ne?”  
“Hai.”  
Again that low, monotone voice, and the blond shivered.  
Still, he had gone too far to stop now.  
Clearing his throat, he continued:  
“So, if I asked you, if you wanted to have..sex with me, what would you say?”  
“Hai.”  
The blond worried his lip; while he had always fought and argued with the CEO, he had also lusted for him since, well, he joined their class.  
Now, despite what everybody else thought about the occasionaly slow-witted blond, Jounouchi Katsuya was anything else but naïve in matters of the erotic kind.  
It was simply not possible to join a gang without being confronted with sex on a daily basis.  
He had known he preffered girls over boys when he was twelve.  
Figured out that he didn't mind giving head if the other guy was cute enough at thirteen.  
Decided that he swung both ways(though was pickier when it came to women) by the time he was fourteen.  
Hell, he could have taught sex-ed in his sleep by the time Duelist Kingdom came around. 

Jou snapped back to reality, gazing at the dormant Kaiba.  
Who's eyes were still half-lidded and unresponsive.  
The blond swallowed and gently, ever so gently cupped the brunet's cheek with his palm.  
Kaiba responded by closing his eyes and leaning into the embrace.  
Jou gulped dryly, then hushed,  
"Kaiba, are you awake?”  
No reply.  
He gently thumbed the high cheekbone, rasping,  
“I-I'm going to kiss you now. Is-is that ok with you?”  
The faintest of sighs, and Jounouchi took it as a yes.  
Leaning forward, he barely brushed their lips together.  
His heart fluttered at the shy touch.  
He added some pressure, and Kaiba gave a faint grunt.  
Jou recoiled, searching the CEO's face and eyes for any signs of alertness.  
Not detecting any, the blond grew more daring; he parted his lips for a full-blown, open kiss, his tongue sliding over Kaiba's lower lip.  
And this time the brunet responded.  
Not very strongly; it was a mere unconcious shifting of the mouth, and Jou felt a bolt of lightning go straight to his groin.  
He slipped his tongue into Kaiba's mouth and started exploring, gently, slowly, carefuly.  
Kaiba's taste gave him a headrush; taking the brunet's long, slender hand he placed it on the bulge in his pants and started rubbing.  
Not able to withstand temptation anymore, he freed his erection and, wrapping his own hand around Kaiba's, used this one's fist to finish himself off.  
“Oh yeah..of fuck..so good...”  
He panted; the fact that he used the unaware brunet's hand, who could wake up any moment, to masturbate, rushed his orgasm.  
Jounouchi came, head thrown back, a silent scream torn from his lungs.  
Coming down from his high, he inspected the mess he made.  
Thankfully, Kaiba's clothes had remained spotless, the entire load splattered over the blond's shirt.  
Who panted, then grinned.  
Kissing the brunet again, whispering sweet nothings against this one's lips, he then proceeded to clean up and change into another shirt.  
It would be a long walk to the Kaiba mansion. 

A good hour before dawn they reached the surroundings of the Kaiba estate.  
Jounouchi nudged the CEO towards the main gate, watching as the brunet unerringly steered towards the guard house.  
The watchman did a double-take seeing his employer in such a state und hurried to usher Kaiba into the mansion.  
Jou smiled and turned to head home. 

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This story is based upon the fact that several members of my family have been know to sleepwalk to various degrees. Of course, I am taking great liberties here...  
Please R&R 


	2. ll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two in one; Jou is silent, Kaiba clueless..or is he?

ll.

The bags under his eyes looked like he had received two shiners.  
Being used to avoid questions, Jou rubbed some concealer underneath them and dusted with some powder.  
Much better.  
Not perfect, but enough that people would believe him that he hadn't been able to sleep due to the heat.  
Again, another trick he had picked up on the street.  
The prostitutes which hung around his part of town had taught him that, seeing as they often were on the receiving end of the anger of a customer or pimp.  
Jounouchi gave himself another once-over, then threw his briefcase over his shoulder.  
Time for school.

Kaiba Seto was exhausted.  
Not that he would let anyone know or even see it, but his legs felt as if he had walked the entire way from Tokyo to Kobe and back.  
According to the night watch, he had stepped out in his trenchcoat and pajamas for a walk and returned about three thirty in the morning.  
And try as he might, Kaiba couldn't fathom why he would do so in the first place.  
Plus, there was -were- these strange dreams, these images.  
Thoughts, snippets, of walking past run-down houses, depilated blocks and unkempt streets, a small, clean appartment, a worn-out futon, golden eyes..  
And whispers, sighs, tender, sweet, meaninglesss promises and praises, a sharp, salty, strangely alluring and familiar scent, the way golden hair-  
"Ne, Jounouchi, you look par the worse", stated a soft alto, even as said one slumped into his chair one in front and to the side of Kaiba.  
"Leave m' alone, Yuug'; this heat is so bad, I think it started peelin' the colour off the wall" groaned Jounouchi. His best friend smiled compassionately.  
"Ja, I take it then the ventilator didn't work, ne?"  
Jou merely glanced up from where his head lay on the desk.  
"Can't tell, since my old man kept hoggin' it."  
Kaiba tilted a brow.  
That had been impossible, since Jounouchi senior had not been home the previous night.  
For a second, the CEO was perplexed; how on earth would he know about that? And much less even care?  
Shaking his head imperceptively, he returned to his novel.  
Odd.

 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Again, it is not impossible to remember fragments of the happenings, though it is uncommon.


	3. lll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's still summer, it's still hot and Jounouchi is still longing. And Kaiba still has no clue.

lll

The heat didn't abate.  
They were entering week six now, and the only time the air had seemed to cool down had been when a nocturnal shower had unexpectedly washed over the city.  
Jounouchi had made it a nightly routine to come to the harbour, now.  
It being a scarce half hour from home, he argued that the reprieve it brought was worth the walk.  
Of course, he would never admit that he also came here in hopes to see Kaiba again. To maybe be able to lure him back home, taste, touch, explore...  
But days turned into weeks, then months; time passed and the temperature dropped lower. As August came to an end, Katsuya gave up hope.  
At least he had caught a small glimpse, a sliver of how it might have felt like to be with Kaiba.

Summer was over.  
The nights had grown not merely tolerable, but soothing. Warm, but without the sting of sun-burnt tarmac.  
Jounouchi sighed.  
It was barely past midnight, tomorrow was an off-school day and he had late shift at the café he was working.  
He cast a longing look at the waning moon, then sighed dejectedly and turned to leave.  
Half a block was as far as he got when he noticed a man in a business suit.  
A very expensive business suit.  
A very familiar hairdo.  
A hauntingly familiar stride.  
Jounouchi felt a shiver run down his spine.  
Perhaps Kaiba had remembered that fateful night and had now sought him out, here, where no one would bear witness to whatever punishment he would deal out to the blond.  
Katsuya stood frozen. Part of him was terrified, but the greater part was excited, thrilled even.  
How lucky could he get?  
Still, he decided to play it safe.  
Putting on a bored, slightly annoyed façade, he drawled,  
"Fancy meeting you here, Kaib'. Checkin' in on the tuna catch?"  
The brunet didn't stop, but barreled past him towards the pier.  
Jounouchi watched him confused, then his eyes widened in alarm.  
At this rate Kaiba would walk himself right off the landing docks and into the water.  
Without hesitation, the blond caught up with Kaiba.  
Sure enough, there was that distant look again, and Jou reacted. Slowly, carefully, with cooing sounds and calming whispers, he managed to guide his crush away from the water and into the safety of his home.  
Leading him into his room proofed to be somewhat of a difficulty this time, since Jounouchi senior was still in.  
Katsuya left Seto standing at the side entrance and only allowed himself to coax the CEO into the house, when he could be damn well sure that his father would not come back.  
This time, they had all the time in the world.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
I feel..guilty. Not as much as for writing Kaiba into this situation, but for making Jou such a complete and immoral opportunistic scumbag. Please let me know what you think of the story thus far.


	4. lV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heh, never thought I'd write Jounouchi being this..cavalier about comitting a crime..especially such a heinous one. Don't know if I like this new attitude I pinned on him.

lV 

Featherlight touches.  
Nips.  
Butterfly kisses.  
Bated, heated breaths, movements seeming almost lethargic in pace.  
Despite his often lightning-quick temper and brazeness, Jounouchi employed his sheer indomitable will to its full extent in order to fuel and reinforce his self-control.  
There, sprawled between sheets both slightly used and crispy clean, lay the naked, sleeping form of one Kaiba Seto.  
Chestnut, auburn, ebony silk, in contrast with ivory, cream, alabaster satin, bathed, sprinkled, freckled by pale moonlight, a sight to behold.  
Jounouchi shivered; truly a feast fit for a king.  
The work to get him to strip naked and lay down without waking him in the process had truly been an Herculean task on the blond's behalf.  
Sweetly, smoothly, soothingly he had talked Kaiba out of his business suit and other layers of clothing.  
Which had, to the blond's surprise, merely consisted of a pair of boxer briefs and socks.  
Once assured that the brunet was still at ease and asleep, Jou had taken his sweet time exploring his prize.  
Constantly, unerringly checking, controlling, searching for the slightest hint, a mere twitch, an idea of awareness in the almost closed, deep blue lakes he had so often locked eyes with.  
But the brunet slept on, blissfully unaware of the, as gentle and caring and careful as it were, molestation.  
Jounouchi grew anxious, bolder; just because they didn't have school the next day didn't mean he could stall things forever.  
Eventually, he would have to walk or bring the CEO back to his front gate, like it or not.  
Jou bit his lip and unflinchingly cupped Kaiba's sac.  
There was a low, barely audible moan, and Katsuya's resolve popped like a bubble on a hot stove.  
For a moment, there was a hard, almost alien expression on is face, as he regarded his unaware crush; calloused fingers circling and stroking the tip of his own erection, every so often a nail catching the tiny slit at the top.  
Determindedly, he carefully lowered himself onto Kaiba, until his body covered the brunet one's completely.  
Kaiba gave what might have been a snort, but his breathing remained even.  
Jou waited for a few moments, then rose to his hands and knees and reached for the small wooden box doubling as a nightstand.  
Snatching the bottle of lube from on top of it, he poured a generous amount into his left palm and held it there to warm.  
His right hand moved, coaxed, shifted Seto's legs apart, body again partially hidden by sheets to avoid cold.  
Then the left hand was lowered between the thighs, one finger finding, testing, circling, probing the puckered hole it found there.  
Jounouchi was drunk; he reveled in the sight of the sleeping brunet before him and felt dizzy at the rush of power, of control, of lust.  
The first digit slipped in almost too easily, the second one with little more resistance.  
The third finger met with somewhat greater difficulties; the brunet was too unresponsive.  
Jou let his right hand flatten against the brunet's length and began stroking it up and down, firmly, almost possessively, always ready to withdraw.  
A couple moments later, the third finger had no problem entering.  
Keeping his focus on the CEO's face, Katsuya gently moved his hands in tandem, stretching and stroking.  
Once the opening was widened to his liking, he removed his fingers from the hole and coated his member with the leftover lubricant.  
A little more, just to make sure he didn't wound or tear, then Jou placed the tip of his cock at the brunet's entrance.  
He gripped Kaiba's hips, hard, but not to bruise.  
Slowly, gently, unerringly he eased his member into the tight channel before him-  
and Kaiba awoke.  
Not partially, not slowly, but with a surprised gasp that startled Jounouchi.  
For a moment, the world stopped.  
Confusion, disorientation, fear, increduility, shock...Katsuya had rarely ever seen so many emotions warring over Kaiba's face.  
And then the CEO was back in command.

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Gomen, I just..couldn't resist the cliffie. Please let me know what you think of the story so far, before I post the next chapter, arigatou.


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I decided for this story to be somewhat Jou-seme oriented. There are not enough such stories out there, and I am so sick of the whole clueless-virgin-uke-puppy trope everybody seems to be a sucker for. Jou-seme it is; don't like, don't read.  
> Oh, and here there be lemon- enjoy!

V

"You..you.." Jounouchi saw the struggle; the fight his crush had with finding not merely the right words, but his entire, multilingual vocabulary of insults to hurl at him.  
Not this time.  
Seto opened his mouth -a choked gasp escaped him, when Jou bucked his hips forward, pushing his manhood deeper into the brunet.  
Who grit his teeth and, trying to disentangle his long limbs from around Jounouchi's waist, snarled,  
"Get. Off. Of. Me."  
Jou smirked.  
"That's the general idea."  
"Are you even aware of what you have done?"  
The blond glared back.  
"Yes, and I ain't gonna stop."  
Kaiba gave him his most hate-filled glare -a split-second before his fist connected with Jounouchi's jaw.  
And then something inside the blond snapped.  
Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned to look at the CEO and let drop his mask.  
The carefully crafted, expertly honed, deceiving, misleading, constantly shifting mask made of bright smiles, big grins, loud guffaws and heated arguements.  
It was Kaiba's turn to shiver.  
For an endless moment, the brunet found himself cast into immobility when faced with the sheer brutal honesty the blond displayed.  
And he understood that Jounouchi made himself wantingly vulnerable, exposed every fraction of his being to him, at the risk of being exploited and destroyed by the CEO.  
Because down there, deeply hidden beyond the pride and stubbornness, the tenacity, ferocity, the compassion, loyalty and lust, he saw, found something else.  
A longing, a want, a need so deep, so desperate, it mirrored his own, echoed within the empty recesses of his heart.  
Blond bangs touched, mingled with chestnut ones, when Katsuya lowered his head and brushed Seto's lips ever so lightly with his own.

Seto was..indecisive, to say the least. While his mind told him to beat the other duelist into a bloody pulp and sue him to high heavens and back, his body and, most of all, his heart had opposing ideas.  
Jounouchi began a slow, almost imperceptible rocking motion, and Seto bit his lip in an attempt to stifle his moan.  
Another shiver, this time down the blond's back, as Jou buried his face in the crook of Seto's neck.  
"I don't want anyone else to touch you. You're mine, all mine",  
he rasped, as he picked up speed in earnest and Seto could only respond with a guttural moan.  
He fought, fought with all he got, but his body wasn't responding to his orders, defying his control. Instead, the brunet found himself clawing, scratching at Jou's shoulders and back, swearing and cursing like a sailor, even as the blond pistoned in and out of his rear passage.  
And then the thrusting stopped. For a moment, Jou's breathing became erratic, shallow, then he threw his head back and, with a low, muted scream, orgasmed.  
Seto gaped.  
Never had he considered the blond beautiful. Attractive in a bedraggled, rough kind of way, but never like this; lean, strong body covered with sweat, every muscle taut and strung like a wire, golden hair pooling around the nape of his neck, even as long lashes hid half-lidded eyes...  
Everything clicked into place.  
He wanted him. Beyond any doubt, never mind the repercussions or consequences, he wanted him.  
And now, with this transgression, this crime, he finally was his.  
Kaiba smirked.  
A streak of raw, unrestrained possessiveness ran through him.  
Jounouchi now belonged, with is entire being, unrebukingly, irrevocably to him.  
Seto was looking forward to a future which promised to be very, very interesting.

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After doing some research on the matter(which, against my usual habit, I hadn't done beforehand), I discovered that somnambulism is in fact a medical condition. Whilst in children up until puberty it is not uncommon and rarely reason for worry, it does become a serious issue when it appears in adults. Particularly when there is no recorded history of either family members or the patient themselves ever showing any symptoms.  
Somnambulism belongs to the parasomnias which include night-time wetting, sleep paralysis, nightmares, restless legs syndrome and several other sleep disorders.

Again, apologies for going into this fic malinformed.


	6. Vl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Kaiba found out about Jounouchi's little...faux-pas. What is he going to do about it? And will Jounouchi survive the experience?

Vl

"You have no say in this."  
Jounouchi's shoulders slumped, when he took in his surroundings.  
After lecturing him that very night, the CEO had made it pretty clear that he, Jou, was at Seto's mercy. If he didn't want to go to jail, he would have to do the brunet's bidding.  
So far, Katsuya was merely there to satisfy Seto's carnal desires, whenever this one deemed it necessary.   
In short, he was a sex slave.  
And while he didn't mind the sex at all, the fact that that he had to heed the brunet's beck and call was decidedly unpalatable for him.  
Luckyly for him, though, Kaiba had a very tightly packed schedule, so his..services were only requested every once in a while.  
Which is why he was standing in one of the various lofts scattered around Domino, the CEO used whenever he didn't wanted to return all the way back to the mansion for the night.  
It was nice, comfy, bright, spacious, state-of-the-art, open yet secretive.   
Everything Jou considered his dream appartment should be like.  
Needless to say, he usually looked forward to their 'meetings'.  
And then Kaiba decided to take him along for an overseas business trip.

"Nope. Not gonna happen. Ie. Dame desu. No friggin' way", declared the blond.  
"I got two shifts in two days, and a third one comin' up at the end of the week. If you want to keep this thing a secret, you gotta adjust to my schedule just as I did to yours."  
He never thought he would see the day Kaiba gave a derisive snort.  
But there it was, rude, loud, condescending and utterly unmistakeable.  
"I am certain that flipping burgers and pushing broom can be executed by someone even less competent than you."  
Jou's left eye twitched.  
"Ja, but I still gotta pay my own bills", he glowered. One perfect marron brow was titled.  
"Gomen? You pay the bills? Since when?" This time the blond gave a low hiss.  
"Have been for a couple of years. And no, I don't want wage loss recompensence; that would feel like you're paying me to be your baita."  
A mirthless, full-fledged grin, akin to a shark's, flashed briefly.  
"But you are my whore. My call boy."  
Jounouchi took a deep, calming breath, before stating cooly,  
"I am a slave. _Big_ difference."  
"Even more reason for you to obey."  
"Not if it blows our cover. And there's only so many excuses I can make before either my boss or my friends start getting suspicious. And you don't want Yuugi or the others start askin' questions, ne?"  
Kaiba had to reluctantly agree that the thought of Yuugi-tachi poking their noses where they didn't belong was rather unappealing...

Jounouchi was torn between heaven and hell.  
While he was delighted that his crush had not rebuked him, but actually demanded is sexual _endeavours_ , he was also more than disheartened that the brunet still seemed so cold and distant.  
He had expected Seto to be a tad bit more passionate, more active, but instead the young CEO treated their affair just like any other secret business agreement.  
What irked him most, however, was that Kaiba more than often volunteered to bottom. Again, whilst he was far from complaining, it still had made the blond wonder about the reason.   
To the respective question, the brunet had merely replied,  
"Simple. As long as you top me, I have proof of your transgression. It gives me the opportunity of walking into the police station at almost any given time and charge you for sexual assault."  
Jounouchi's jaw had dropped at that.  
"Sexual a-hey, it's not rape, if we're both consenting."  
Sapphire eyes had narrowed to dangerous slits.  
"When you -entered me while I was asleep, you might have gotten off with sexual infringement. However, the moment I awoke and demanded you to stop, it clearly became rape."  
A cold, satisfied smirk had tilted the brunets lips.  
A different shiver, the temperature of an Arctic glacier, had ran down Katsuya's spine.  
There was no getting out of this for him.

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Heh, trust Kaiba to turn a bad situation around and make the offender squirm. Please let me know what you think of the story so far; the next couple of chapters might take a while, since they're rather tricky to write.


	7. Vll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Jou and Kaiba tackle the problem. Is there a problem?

Vll

"Somnambulism is nothing to be ashamed of", stated his private physician.  
Kaiba merely hmped. Jou looked on in puzzlement, wondering why the CEO had insisted on him tagging along.  
The middle-aged doctor removed his spectacles and, while cleaning them, continued,  
"Now, if it were your brother Mokuba, I would not be too concerned, because up to his age it is not uncommon for children to have these kind of parasomnias. However, since you're practically an adult, it does raise some serious questions."  
He flipped open Kaiba's file and thumbed through it.  
"No mentioning whatsoever..and when is it you ran into him the first time you said, Jounouchi-san?"  
The blond perked up, replying,  
"Late June, I was lounging about the harbour, when out of the blue Kaiba just came strollin' along."  
"Hnn, I see. And you reacted how?" Jou shrugged.  
"Talked to him; when I realized he was not replyin' in..the usual way, I took a closer look and realized he was completely zoned out. Like a zombie. Minus the drooling and all that", he ended lamely.  
Sapphire eyes glanced cooly at him. The doctor scribbled something down, missing the mute exchange between the two teens.  
"Wakata. And how did you manage to make him follow you?"  
Jou felt cold sweat collecting on his brow.  
"Ehrr, yeah, well, my lil' sister, she used to- and mom would always talk to her, very low and soft..and 'Zuka- that's my sister -would then follow and just -obey, I guess..and go back to sleep -well, bed, since she technically already was asleep, ne?" he blurted out.  
Dotting down a few more words, the sensei mumbled,  
"You treated the situaton very professional, Jounouchi-san. Though it makes me wonder, why you felt the need to take him to your place, rather than walk him home."  
Jounouchi could have sworn, that everything in the vicinity had just frosted over.  
Kaiba was glaring at him past the doctor's shoulders via their reflection in the window behind the physician. Talk about a flash-freeze.  
Clearing his throat, the blond explained,  
"Yeah, well my place was -is closer than his, and I wanted him away from trouble, so I figured bringing him to my place first and then deciding whether to call for a cab or his driver to pick him up would be safer."  
The doctor nodded, satisfied with the answer. He then turned his attention to his patient.  
"Kaiba-san, as mentioned, when people your age develop sudden -spells of somnambulic behaviour, it is usually a sign of extreme mental stress or, even worse, a disease. Now, we all know you are a very busy man and that your lifestyle is rather..taxing, for lack of a better word, but maybe we can get to the bottom of this without any further neurological examination. Obviously, you only recently began to sleepwalk. Any idea as to what has gotten you this..unsettled?"  
Kaiba shifted uncomfortably, ever so slightly, but to Jou, who had learned to read him, the movement spoke volumes.  
Seto absolutely hated to admit to any kind of weakness. Still, the brunet retained his air of aloof nonchalance, if just to uphold his image.  
"It..has been a rather stressful summer for me," he confessed,  
"particularly June and August were..draining."  
Jou tilted a questioning brow, urging him to continue.  
"I've -been commuting between Tokodai+ and Boston to check in on some research programs they were -are conducting."  
The blond blinked.  
"Boston? As in MIT, Boston?" It was Seto's turn to gape in amazement.  
"You..know what MIT stands for?" he croaked incredulous. Jou snorted.  
"Yer shittin' me, right? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is just one, if not the most illustre churning ground for next next next generation technology, from space travel to submarine mining techniques to nanomedical-"  
"Fine. I admit. I'm impressed. Happy now?" Seto cut him off. Jou grinned.  
"Funny, that's what you said after our first n-mmphhphh!!"  
The doctor's grey brows rose, when he witnessed Kaiba Seto clamping his hand over his classmate's mouth, effectively shutting him up. A suspicion rose in his brain, but he decided not to utter it. If he was correct, he could use this information very much to the CEO's benefit.  
Tapping his pen against his palm, he stated thoughtfully,  
"If only we had a way to monitor your movements, perhaps we could discern a pattern there."  
"But we have recording of my wanderings", replied Seto. Both Jou and his physician gaped at him.  
"Gomen?" asked sensei. Kaiba shrugged.  
"My coat has a built-in GPS transmitter. It makes it easier to locate me, should I get kidnapped", he stated, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.  
Jou and the doctor exchanged glances, then unison sighed and shook their heads.

The tracker showed a beeline for the harbour. No detours, no pauses, just a straightforward walk towards the pier.  
They were four in total; two ones which Jounouchi had missed due to the fact that he had been working late those nights and was gone before the CEO had even started on his somnambulic trek.  
Kaiba, Jounouchi and the doctor watched the small dot on the screen wander across the map of Domino City as Seto's laptop transcribed the data from his coat's tracking system onto the screen.  
"Any idea what got ya so transfixed on the docks?" queried Jounouchi. The CEO merely shrugged his shoulders.  
"I am equally puzzled."  
Jounouchi doubted that, but decided against questioning further.  
Kaiba however had his suspicions; his subconciousness drove him to the harbour out of guilt.  
Guilt, that then, when he had the chance to play hero, he had oh so casually threwn the key into the murky waters, just assuming that the blond would catch it. He had hazarded Jounouchi's life because he had wanted to retain his image.  
And then had sacrificed the blond to unravel the power behind the Winged Dragon of Ra.  
Looking back, Jounouchi had every reason to, if not hate, then at least resent him.  
Never mind their now, momentarily, mutual physical attraction.  
"Does the harbour hold any deeper meaning to you, Kaiba-san? Some kind of trauma?" queried the doctor.  
The brunet merely shrugged.  
"I -we had a run-in a while ago with some rather...unpleasent individuals."  
Jounouchi sputtered in disbelief. Sensei gave him a curious look.  
"Do you know anything about this incidence, Jounouchi-san?"  
The blond narrowed his eyes in anger and something else the elder man couldn't put his finger on.  
"Seeing as I took the brunt of what happened, I think it's safe to say I know a big deal about that day."  
The doctor was slightly taken back by the tone; up to this moment the blond had seemed somewhat corky, if not timid.  
Now there was a hard, steely quality, an impression of a fierce, unshakeable determination in Jounouchi's voice.  
Here was someone with a strong will; the will to meet any challenge head-on.  
Even the kind of challenge one Kaiba Seto presented.  
The doctor decided to put his plan into action.  
"Hai, well seeing as you both have shared the same experience, I suppose it would be best if Jounouchi-san would keep monitoring your behaviour on a more..personal level. Just to make sure you don't harm yourself in case of reoccurence."  
Kaiba's glare could have turned carrier beams to chips.  
"Meaning?" he snarled, though he saw right through sensei's little charade. Who grinned and elaborated,  
"I think it would be better if Jounouchi-san would move in with you to ensure your safety and record your sleep behaviour."  
"WHAT?" screamed the blond.  
Kaiba merely groaned inwardly.

 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
*smirk* Shoulda seen that one coming..I went with the mangaverse in this story; while I do prefer the heroic Shizuka-to-the-rescue-scene from the anime, the original fits the plot here better. Also, I'll try to dive a little deeper into the whole parasomnia matter, so be patient about updates.

Edit: gomen, gomen, gomen, totally forgot to elaborate:

+Tokodai: actually Tokyo Institue of Technology, aka Tokyo Tech or TiTech, is Japan's largest science and technology learning institute. It's only natural that Kaiba would use their research facilities for his own projects.


	8. Vlll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A touch more reasoning as to why Seto doesn't insist on being seme..and a tad bit of trouble on the horizon.

Vlll

Lying between his silk sheets, the brunet shivered in delight. Never in his life had he thought, guessed, that he would like, even _enjoy_ being bottom.  
But the way Jou held him, kissed him, knew instinctly when, how to push, thrust and stroke, left the CEO more often than not in precarious situations throughout the day.   
A glint of gold, a taste of honey would bring back flashes, glimpses of passion and lust, steering his mind from more pressing matters, i.e. business.   
Then again, despite being a hopeless workaholic and micromanagement addict, he was also aware that he was severly spoiled and loved to be lavished with attention and being served.  
And serve him Jounouchi did, every time, until either exhaustion or satisfaction was reached -or both.  
Usually both.  
Needless to say, Seto's sleep quality had vastly improved; he was less irritable, more patient and his often agressive migraines had dulled down to mere easily supressed or ignorable headaches.  
Also, the sleepwalking had been reduced to rare somnambulic risings and shiftings and hardly ever when Jounouchi was or had been with him.  
The fact that he held the younger duelist's freedom, his very life in his grasp, was merely the icing on the cake.

"So?" Jounouchi merely shot him a glance.  
"Nan de?" Yuugi smiled.  
"You and Kaiba", stated the shorter duelist.  
Heimlich saved the poor blond, who had inadvertently inhaled a large chunk of chãshu+ and was almost choking to death.  
Thankfully, he was on his lunch break, so no one could witness his humiliation.  
"Go-hurr-'riga-hurrhh-domo, ne? What was that?" he rasped, once he could be certain not to die of asphyxation. Yuugi, still patting his back, reiterated,  
"You and Kaiba seem to be getting along better. What happened?"  
Jounouchi's mind reeled. Damn, where did they slip up?   
Shifting his eyes oh-so-conspirational around the café he called a workplace, he lowered his voice and grumbled,  
"Promise you won't tell?" Yuugi nodded. Jou glared at him just for good measure.  
"Ie, I want you to promise. Don't tell anyone even a yip."  
The Duel Monsters champion blinked, but then nodded in earnest.  
"I promise."  
Again, Jou glanced around to make certain nobody was within earshot, then rasped,  
"A couple a' weeks ago, I ran into Kaiba down at the harbour. The guy was drunk off his ass and insisted he could swim all the way from here to Kyùshù. Don't ask me how I got him to call his driver, but he did, was picked up and ever since we're..well..not really buddies, but..y' know."  
It was the best he could come up with on the fly, and he crossed his fingers that Yuugi wouldn't see through his lie.  
Amethyst eyes stared at him, even as a mouth hung open, then Yuugi screeched,  
"And you expect me to _believe_ that?"  
Jou shrugged.  
"Go ahead, ask Kaiba, if y' will. Doubt he'll confess anything, though."  
Yuugi mulled this over, then hushed,  
"How come nothing was mentioned in the papers?"  
Jou gave his best friend a patronizing smile.  
"Yuug' this is Kaiba we're talkin' about. He can hush up just about anything he wants."  
Except running in his PJs and coat through Domino at half-past midnight...  
Nope, the drunk-beyond-reason-version was far more preferable.

Jou stared at the brunet lying beneath him, who shifted and stretched in post-coital bliss. The blond leaned closer, making sure he had heard correctly.  
Indeed, Kaiba actually purred; a low, quasi-rumbling sound that made the brunet's chest vibrate slightly.  
Katsuya gave a smug grin.  
"Guess the kitten's happy, ne?" he joked. A half-lidded glare, which lacked the majority of its usual force, was sent his way. The grin widened.  
*You're purring, babe." Seto gave a delicate snort.  
"I am not. I do not possess the anatomic capabilities to do so. And even if, I would not do it."  
"We'll see about that", drawled Katsuya.

Some twenty minutes later it was confirmed that yes, Kaiba Seto _did purr_ , when thoroughly sexually satisfied.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
Yup, Kaiba basically has Jou do all the hard work in bed...after all he _is_ his slave, ne? Also, I'd like for you folks out there to review and comment if I'm writing somehing drastically wrong where parasomnias are concerned. Here are the sites I use(mostly) for refrence:

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/parasomnias  
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-and-parasomnias  
https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/43122/Parasomnien-im-Erwachsenenalter  
https://www.ksm.ch/de/schlafkrankheiten/parasomnie/symptome-und-ursachen-im-detail/index.html  
http://sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/parasomnias  
https://4g-health.com/mit/parasomnien/  
http://sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/parasomnias/overview-and-facts  
https://parasomnias.com/

\+ chãshu: marinated and braised pork belly- yup, the traditional Ramen topping.


	9. lX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, everything's nice and cozy for our bishies..or so it seems.

lX

It was not making sense.  
At first, when they began this little..therapy of sorts, Seto had improved in bounds and leaps.  
No sleepwalking, no night terrors, no nothing.  
An occasional mumbling perhaps, but that was quite within the norm.  
And now, all of a sudden, a few days ago, this:  
in the dead of night, Seto had began flailing and kicking, throwing punches and then he had screamed.  
A scream unlike any Jounouchi had ever heard; bloodcurdling, chilling and utter verbalized agony, the cry had seemed to have been torn from the very depths of the brunet's soul.  
It had rattled Jounouchi to the core; panicked he had shaken Kaiba awake, earning himself a bruised cheek in the process and Seto a sharp slap across the face. For the longest time, they both had just sat there, the elder teen trembling and hugging himself, while the other had tried to figure out how to help.  
One had needed comfort, the other had possessed it in abundance, but neither had known how to either accept or offer it.  
In the end, Jou had gotten Kaiba a valerian pill and a shot of cognac and helped him settle again.  
Needless to say, Kaiba had dismissed the entire episode as a one-time thing.

Mokuba stared at him.  
Then it turned into a heated glare, once his bafflement died down.  
'Ah fuck', thought Jounouchi, as he faced the younger Kaiba brother.  
So far, they had been able to stay under the kid's radar; scheduling their clandestine affair during the boy's school hours and feeding him dishes which induced a firm, heavy sleep.  
It had been both Seto's and the doctor's idea to move the CEO back to the mansion, as they deemed it safer for Kaiba to remain within familiar quarters in order to reduce harm and lessen the confusion after waking up.  
And now the cat was out of the bag.  
"Jounouchi no yarou," came the condescending voice,  
"what are you doing in our house?"  
The blond settled for a nonchalant shrug.  
"School project. Sensei was dense enough to hook up your brother 'n' me, and now I'm stuck here. We were just brainstormin'. The paperwork starts tomorrow."  
Mokuba blinked.  
Jounouchi was lying through his teeth, he just knew it, but for his life he couldn't imagine why.  
Again, Jou shrugged and brushing past him, stated,  
"Ne, gotta head for work. See ya 'round, kid."  
With that he was out the door, before Mokuba had a chance to probe further.  
Neither one noticed a pair of azure eyes watching them from the gallery. 

"You are not improving."  
Kaiba barely shrugged.  
"At least I stopped wandering around", he replied in a clipped tone.  
His doctor scowled.  
"Kaiba-san, if Jounouchi-san's records are correct, you have regressed from slight confused arousals to nightmares and full-grown night terrors. And that at an alarming rate, may I add."  
"Err, yeah, and don't forget the boner from hell", Jounouchi piped up. Kaiba's head whipped around at an almost painful speed.  
"Excuse. Me?" he snarled, making the poor blond flinch. Sensei meanwhile consulted his reference works.  
"Does this happen regularly or only at random times? Also, are they painful-"  
"You can bet on that!" exclaimed Jounouchi. Before either one of the other men could get in a word, he explained,  
"Sometimes at night, Se-Kaiba's pokin' me with his little friend. Only he doesn't seem excited or anything, but rather looks as if someone was stranglin' his balls."  
Kaiba flushed a deep read, even as sensei gave a wry smirk.  
"Let me guess, relieving himself is out of question, ne?"  
Jou merely snorted.  
"Please, you should watch him try to get out of bed when he wakes up with one of those. Just walkin' looks like torture", he added.  
Kaiba's face meanwhile had returned to its usual pallor along with an all-too familiar set expression.  
"You do realize, I am standing right here and perfectly capable of recounting my. Own. Problems." he hissed. Jou shifted uncomfortably.  
"Ja, but confessing that my sexy self gets you so horny even your un-erm, subconciousness can't help reacting to it, is a tad bit embarassing", he smirked.  
Kaiba's glare turned lethal.  
"If my subconciousness were a little more up to par, I would try to strangle you on a nightly basis", he ground out.  
The doctor watched the heated exchange, then placed his glasses on the desk and, propping his elbows up, trapped his nose between his hands and sighed.  
"Are..you two an -item?" he asked carefully. Both teens turned to face him.  
"No!" came the unison reply, then Jounouchi added,  
"It's just -I mean, we're just ehm..ok, we're fuck buddies. There. Happy?"  
Sensei regarded them closely.  
"So you're friends" he stated hesitantly.  
"No", again that negation, but this time it was the CEO who elaborated,  
"We only have a mutual physical attraction for each other. And since Jounouchi made it pretty clear from the very beginning that his interest in me was merely of sexual nature and not directed towards my company, money or status, I agreed in order to satisfy my own needs. Besides, with us being both duelists and classmates, it is easy to explain our encounters with school projects or petty fights. We are rather..famous for those", he closed smugly.  
Jou merely glowered.  
"Notorious would be a more fitting word", he griped.  
Sensei picked up a pen to take notes, but dropped it when he caught Kaiba's icy stare. Instead, he crossed his arms on the desk and leaning forward, asked,  
"So, did the night terrors start before or after you began consuming your relationship. As it were."  
Kaiba stepped closer.  
"As a matter of fact, they only occured about three weeks ago. Before that, I slept profoundly and mostly undisturbed. Particularly after Jounouchi and I had been intimate."  
The doctor nodded.  
"Yet, despite the surplus of intercourse, you are displaying a far greater variety and severity of parasomnias. Tell me, what has changed between the both of you?"  
Jou pondered, then turned to look at Kaiba.  
"Not much, really. I mean, we fight much less than before, and this constant tip-toeing around his brother and our friends is somewhat unnerving, but otherwise..I dunno." Sensei turned to his patient.  
"And you, Kaiba-san?" The CEO remained indifferent.  
"I do not recall you being a psychologist", he stated cooly. The doctor agreed.  
"Neither am I a neurologist nor a sleep specialist. I am doing all I can to avoid you having to seek one of those, Kaiba-san".  
This rattled the brunet's cage. Shifting from one foot to the other, he stated,  
"I..am not entirely sure as to the nature of the night terrors, since I have no recollection of those, but the -erections might be because..well, it is not that sex with Jounouchi would be dissatisfying, it's just.."  
The very air around the blond radiated enough heat to spontaneously combust at those words. Kaiba, perfectly aware of Jounouchi's ire, continued,  
"it's just that..I expected something -more. A little out..of the norm."  
Katsuya deflated at that. Sensei merely regarded him sternly.  
"And have you discussed this topic with your partner?"  
The brunet suddenly appeared to shrink, when he confessed,  
"Ie. No, I haven't."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Seto is just too stubborn for his own good..then again, so is Jou. Again, I went with the mangaverse Mokuba here; while in the anime he eventually warms up to the blond, in the manga he remains arguably cool and indifferent towards Jounouchi. As for Kaiba's suddenly (re)occuring night terrors..we will see..

Also, painful sleep-related erections do exist.


	10. X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decided to spoil you with two chapters back-to-back, since I'll be taking a couple of days off of this fic. Hope you'll stay tuned once I return. Oh, and here there be lemon -enjoy!

X

"You're right."  
Yuugi nodded fervently. Him and Honda had both noticed the kind-of closeness Jou and Kaiba had developped over fall, and decided to watch them.  
True to his word, Yuugi had not uttered a single word of the more than dubious story Jounouchi had spun, but when Hiroto had pulled him aside, pointing out the fact that his 'foster brother and moneybags' were spending less time fighting and more time talking to each other, he knew he had found an ally.  
All the had to discern know was whether or not their blond best friend was in any kind of danger...

Long, slender hands clawed at him, his clothes, even as strong arms circled him from behind, pulling him flush against a taut, firm body.  
"Quo vadis, koinu?" Jou sneered.  
"Right back home, if you don't cut it with the dog names. You know how much I hate it."  
Kisses, soft and demanding, peppered a strong neck and broad shoulders.  
"I'm just teasing." Jounouchi's scowl deepened.  
"Ja, does nothing for my libido. Fastest way to kill off my sex-drive, actually."  
A sighed huff.  
"Fine. Slave it is. Speaking of which, I bought some..toys."  
The word breathed down hotly his neck into his collar made the blond go from annoyed to rock-hard in a matter of seconds. His demand came out more of a moan, when he replied,  
"Nugite+. Now."

Laying spread-eagle on his back, cuffed to the bed, was probably the strangest position Katsuya had ever taken on when being seme.  
Then again, the whole situation was odd: he sported a cockring, a ballspreader and, strangely enough, edible body paint, which made him look like a tiger. His erect cock was glistening with oil-based lube and Seto..seemed delighted.  
For the first time since their little thrist started, since they first _met_ , the brunet looked downright happy.  
Carefully, as not to smudge the artwork on the lithe body beneath him, the CEO straddled the blond, lowered himself onto his slave and let this one's member slide with little resistance into his well-prepared hole.  
Jou bit his lip; Seto's body weight put pressure on the cockring and ballspreader, sending tiny, but enjoyable sparks of pain through his groin.  
Seto, on the other hand, was in heaven.   
It had always been one of his darkest, most disturbing, yet achingly craved fantasies to be mounted by a feline predator, and now he could fulfill that unnatural ache without having to actually resort to bestiality.  
Jounouchi fit the role perfectly; he was fierce, almost feral, passionate and relentless, yet caring and receptive. Already, he began to buck his hips, and Seto reacted by rocking back and forth, riding him like a mechanical bull.  
Leaning forward, the brunet then attempted to lick the paint from the golden body underneath him, elicting pants, gasps and groans from the blond.  
Wilder, harder Jounouchi surged, but with his ankles bound to the bedposts, he couldn't get any leverage.  
Seto meanwhile was in a world of bliss; every thrust pushed the cockring against his expanded anus, Jounouchi's enlarged member brushed against his prostate on every stroke, and-  
Stars, galaxies, universes exploded before the brunet's eyes, and what remained afterwards was warm, all-engulfing darkness.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
I..have not the slightest inkling where that came from. It started with the handcuffs and cockring, and while I was still researching the body paint, somehow the whole bestiality thing had slipped inside and..and..I'm sorry. Just..I don't know what happened, there, honestly.

+Nugite: Get naked/strip


	11. Xl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back again with more insight as to how Seto is progressing/regressing and how Jounouchi is coping with it.

Xl

He was doing it again.  
Jounouchi shot up from where he lay on the soft, fluffy pillow, when Seto rose and started shuffling about.  
Jou yawned, as he watched the brunet pick up his slacks and turtleneck and slip into them commando.  
Dragging himself from the comfy bed, he padded over to the CEO who was now attempting to put on his trench coat.  
Alas, he struggled in vain, and finally gave up, turning towards the door.  
He opened and stepped through it, Jou slipping out right behind him.  
"Kaiba-san, we have set everything up. Our technicians did what they could, but haven't been able to detect the bug", he mumbled, as Seto neared the stairs.  
Not wanting him to leave the house, Jounouchi added,  
"Gomen, Kaiba-san, we took the liberty of moving everything to your private office, so-"  
The CEO took a sharp turn to the left and headed for the aforementioned room, almost barelling down the blond.  
Unerringly he strode into his office, sat in his large chair and booted his laptop.  
Jou meanwhile watched in mute interest, as the brunet passed his thumb over the scanner, then randomly opened a file and began typing in a wild staccato.  
Knowing that Seto could easily spend up to an hour like this, Jou went to get pillow and comforter from the master bedroom and, returning to the office, where Seto was still busy mistreating the keyboard, closed the door and set up a make shift bed before it. After making sure all the windows and balcony door were safely locked and bolted, he snuggled into the blankets and drifted off to the sound of Seto hammering away at the keys.

He woke to a dead weight crushing him.  
Sure enough, Kaiba, still fully dressed, had decided to use him as a matress sometime during the night.  
Trying to move out from underneath the CEO, Jounouchi glanced around.  
Outside, the sun had just begun to rise and the blonde groaned.  
Seeing as it was mid-week, he would have to hurry in order to make it in time for school.  
Seto was scheduled for a board meeting at eight thirty, meaning he couldn't drop Jou at school first.  
And even though the shorter duelist enjoyed being driven around in expensive cars, he didn't want to get used to it, since he didn't knew how long this _whatever_ would last.

A whimper.  
At first, Katsuya had thought he had dreamt it, because Kaiba Seto did _not_ whimper.  
But there it was again, and for some odd reason it made the blond's heart clench.  
Kissing, petting the brunet, gently combing his fingers through the chestnut tresses, Jou managed to calm Seto down enough that this one could slip back into a deeper sleep.  
This was not going well.  
And Seto still refused to acknowlegde it.

Seto watched himself.  
He stood there, watching himself observing how the other duelist fought with all his might against the ancient Egyptian god bound to destroy his mind.  
A scream born out of soul-searing pain rippled through the air, his core, and yet his other self just stood there, unmoved, impassionate, uncareing.  
When had he grown so cold, so distant?  
He remembered the way he had felt in those moments, wary, slightly exhausted, but thoroughly thrilled at being given the chance to witness the terrible power of the mightiest of the three god cards.  
A sick curiousity mixed with cold assessment, a dimly registered acknowlegdement of a hint of guilt, but no remorse, compassion or pity.  
And then the blond died, again, and this time both of his hearts clenched in pain.  
His alter ego merely admitted to the skills of the other duelist, easily quenching the tremor of his heart, but he himself, the one looking back and viewing the events unfold in his memory, shook with disgust, anger, loss, self-loathing and anguish.  
What kind of monster had he become? Was this how the others, how Jounouchi perceived him?  
By all means, it was a miracle Yuugi-tachi wanted him around.  
Heck, it was a wonder anyone who wasn't on his payroll still _talked_ to him.  
Seto ran, even as Gearfried materialised on the battle field, calling, shouting the blond's name, trying to root him, keep him alert-  
Gearfried exploded, as his master slumped to his knees and fell face-first 

-out of bed.  
Gasping, panting, fighting a severe cause of vertigo and disorientation, the blue-eyed CEO clawed at the carpet underneath him.  
His long legs, still situated on the bed, were entangled in the sheets, his upper body twisted around and sloped off the edge of the matress.  
"Y' know, this just can't go on like this. It can't be healthy, for neither one of us. I like to help, but if _your_ sleepin' problems 're costing me _my_ sleep, maybe ya should really consider takin' this to a specialist."  
Seto turned on his back to gaze at Jounouchi. Who sat there, crosslegged, hair a lovely mess and features proving he was only barely this side of vigil.  
The brunet tried to free himself from his calamity and with the help of his lover, if one could call him that, managed to reclaim his part of the bed.  
Jou, still ready to fall asleep any second, mumbled,  
"Nani o shite?" Kaiba scowled.  
"I don't want to talk about it." Jou sniffled, then merely shrugged.  
"Y'll have to, event'lly. There's only so long I c'n stay."  
With that the blond plopped back down on the pillow and was blissfully snoring a few moments later.  
He missed the expression of absolute dread crossing the CEO'S face. 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Jou does make a valid point here; Kaiba is being both unreasonable and egoistical here. 


	12. Xll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I figured I could just as well upload the following chapter.

Xll

"No."  
Kaiba growled irritably. Sensei merely shook his head.  
"I am not prescribing you sleeping pills until you have seen a psychologist, Kaiba-san" he insisted. The brunet glared.  
"I don't need a shrink, I just want some narcotics to help me sleep through the night."  
Again, the doctor shook his head.  
"I refuse. Until we have gotten to the root of this problem, I will not hand you any kind of tranquilizers or sedatives."   
Kaiba's glare intensified.  
"You know, I can very easily get them from my pivate clinic", he hissed. Sensei merely snapped back,  
"Kaiba-san, you're eighteen and as far as stress syndroms go, you are twenty _years_ ahead of your age! That is not just unnatural, but potentially thanatophoric!"   
They broke into a curt, heated staring contest, before the physician looked away and stated,  
"Besides, your sleep disorder has also begun to affect your partner. If you're not willing to take care of yourself, at least consider your friend's health."  
Kaiba paused, then turned to gaze at Jounouchi, who sat there a little to the side.  
True enough, the blond looked -dulled, as if the rain outside had washed out the vibrance of his colours.   
His customary golden hair lay matted and lackluster on his head, his normally expressive brown eyes were blank and tired. There were large bags underneath them, his usually healthy tan replaced by a sickly pallor and his overal posture screamed exhaustion.  
Waving a listless hand, he mumbled,  
"Don't mind me, jus' dyin' here.."  
Kaiba very discreetly swallowed the lump in his throat.   
Which was his equivalent of cringing away.  
He was doing it again.  
He was hurting the blond youth, who had become so integral a part of his life, but this time not because he was sacrifycing everything in his pursuit to uproot Yuugi from his throne as King of Games.  
It was not even about the image or ensuing consequences, no.  
It was just plain fear.  
Fear, that if he confessed, Jounouchi might turn him down, turn him away, with the same disgusted contempt he so often had used on the younger teen.  
He knew, that that kind of rejection would destroy him.  
But, did that give him the right to destroy Katsuya instead?

The doctor watched the silent, inner turmoil growing, churning behind his patient's sharp blue eyes, the way they remained transfixed on the blond, who had meanwhile dozed of.   
And the revelation was a startling as it was simple and old as time.  
Yet, all the same, as complicated and intricate and licentious as possible.  
For once, sensei was at a loss how to help.  
Personally, he would have opted for honesty, but it was quite obvious that the brunet was not willing to go down that road anytime soon.  
And hinting Jounouchi into the right direction was wrong for..all the reasons which had brought them to this stalemate.  
Rising from his seat, the doctor walked past the still contemplating brunet to where the dozing blond sat, rousing this one from his nap.  
"Gomen, Jounouchi-san, but would you mind stepping out for a bit? Kaiba-san and I need to discuss a rather delicate topic."  
Slightly confused, blinking owlishly, the teen stumbled from his chair through the door, barely avoiding slamming it closed in the process. Sitting down, the doctor motioned for Kaiba to do the same, then picked up his pen and batted it against the palm of his hand.  
Kaiba had come to resent the tick; it usually meant that the physician was cooking up some half-brained resolve or the likes.  
Finally, sensei placed the pen down on Kaiba's file and said,  
"You need to talk to him." The CEO scowled.  
"We do that every day, whether at-"  
"No, I mean you need to make a confession."  
One chestnut brow was tilted.  
"Confession? Of what kind?"   
The elder man cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes.  
"I think I understand the turmoil you are going through, Kaiba-san, and, your intelligence, prowess and status notwithstanding, you still are teenager, as much as you despise to hear it. There are some things, never mind how old or experienced we grow, that are never easy."  
Sensei knew he had hit bull's eye, when he saw a single, lonely bead of sweat trickle down Seto's temple, slip behind his ear and vanish underneath his turtleneck.   
Expressionless features or not, Kaiba had just given himself away.  
Steepling his fingers together, the physician continued carefully,  
"Now, my advise is, in order to make progress without involving any further chemical or professional help, would be to tell Jounouchi-san the truth."  
Kaiba shot up, ready to protest, but sensei waved him off,  
"Relax, relax, Kaiba-san, I would never demand or expect you to pour your heart out, as it were,"   
Seto made a face as if having smelled something distinctly foul,  
"but..piece by piece. Like a puzzle. Give Jounouchi-san one clue per day, and let him figure it out on his own. It will also help him to better understand the position you are in."  
A haughty sniff, then,  
"What other possibilities would you suggest?"   
This time, sensei placed both hands flat on his desk and declared,  
"There are no other solutions. Judging strictly from his appearance today, I have to honestly consider taking Jounouchi-san up as my future patient."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Again, a much needed wake-up call. For this story I decided to not give the physician a name, because, well..because.


	13. Xlll

Xlll

Damn, was he in trouble.  
He had just let himself in and was busy peeling off his soaked sneakers, when Mokuba showed up, literally out of nowhere and, crossing his arms before his chest in a rather Kaiba-like manner, sneered,  
"I see, o-nii-sama gave you a spare key, ne, Jounouchi- _yarou_?"  
He emphasized the expletive, and the blond let his wince turn to a scowl.  
"That would be Jounouchi- _kun_ , Jounouchi or just plain Jou, for you", he bit back.  
Rising to his full height, he then ever so casually slipped out of his jacket, placed it on a hanger and onto the coatstand behind the door he had just entered.  
Turning to face the younger boy, he added in his most James Bond manner,  
"Besides, young man, I am doubtful that your brother would appreciate the use of such foul language within your pristine home."  
Then he strode away, grinning wickedly, as Mokuba stood there, shell-shocked, trying to figure out how the world worked.

"Well, that's new" mumbled the blond, as he walked into the closest guest room(he had decided to play it safe, since Mokuba was lurking around) and now wondered about the tapestry hanging there.  
It was a large piece of draperie, and only on closer inspection Jounouchi realized that it was not woven, but actually embroidered.  
As backdrop served a wild, stormy sky, ragged mountain tops dotted with snow and ice. Left paw risen in challenge, the Blue Eyes White Dragon dominated the rear half of the artwork, roaring at its opponent. Slightly crouched, every sinew coiled and ready for attack, the Red Eyes Black Dragon gave back in kind, tail curled protectively around a smaller, greyish creature huddling in the front left.  
Jounouchi cocked a brow.  
A purple-eyed, silver dragon chick. Scratching his head, he tried to remember when and if he had ever heard of such a monster, but his mind drew a blank.  
"They're argueing about who gets to raise it."  
Katsuya jumped and swerved around.  
True enough, there stood Kaiba, knowing smirk on his face, leaning against the door frame.  
"Kuso, Kaiba, don't do that! Y' could give a guy a heart attack, sneakin' up on them like that", snapped the blond. The brunet merely shook his head in amusement, then sauntered closer. Tilting his head back, his gaze wandered over the magnificent beasts locked forever in silk and wool.  
Jounouchi studied his classmate, and for a moment he could have sworn there was an almost..wistful expression on the CEO's face.  
Then he blinked, as Kaiba's words finally sunk in.  
"Are you tellin' me..it's _their_ baby?" he croaked incredulous. Seto merely shrugged.  
"Maybe, maybe it's also just an orphan they found. Important thing is, they're fighting about its guardianship."  
Jounouchi snorted derisively.  
"Hai, and while they're having their dick size competition, they totally ignore that the kid is starvin' and freezing to death."  
Startled, Seto paused in surprise. He had never thought of it like that. Though, when looking at it from that angle...  
"Mou, the chick is terrified. Seriously, can't these two asswipes just can it for a moment and focus on what's _really_ important?"  
Mimicking Mokuba's earlier pose, Jou folded his arms in front of his chest and glared at the tapestry. Then he gave a low snarl and, turning towards the door, growled,  
"I don't like it. I don't like it one bit."

Honda Hiroto was no the most patient person in the world.  
Hell, some would even argue that he wasn't the most patient person in his little group of friends, but considering what he had just found out, he was justifiably jittery.  
"C'me on, come on, come on! Pick up already!" he yelled into his cell phone, which was ostentatiously continuing to make ringing noises.  
"Kami-sama, Yuug', you on the loo or what? What-"  
"Moshi moshi", came the friendly chirp of his friend. Honda groaned in relief.  
"Good gracious grief, Yuugi, where the heck have you been? I've been trying to call you for hours!" bellowed Honda.  
Yuugi on the other end of the line, blinked.  
"Ara, Hiroto-kun, daijoubu ka?" he asked, somewhat taken aback. Honda meanwhile was literally running in circles.  
"Yes-no- I mean, and- no, ok-matte!" He drew a deep breath, counted to ten, then added,  
"Ok, I'm fine. Better. I'm better." He glanced around, making sure no one was within earshot, then asked,  
"Yuugi, are you seated? I mean, as in on a chair?"  
He could actually hear the question marks surrounding Yuugi's head, then,  
"Errhh, no, not yet, I mean-"  
"Just- sit down, ok?" the stocky brunet interrupted,  
"You- you'll need to be sitting down for this one. Trust me."  
Immediatly, Yuugi's tone grew worried.  
"Honda-kun, what's wrong, did something happen to Jounouchi-kun? Is he in trouble? Are you hurt?!?"  
"Matte, matte matte, just- ok, first, guess where I am." demanded Honda. Yuugi scowled.  
"I have no idea." Hiroto gave a tight grin.  
"Donguuri-chõme+. Yeah, where the big houses are. And now just guess what I saw, not even twenty minutes ago?"  
Yuugi sighed in defeat.  
"Honda-kun, I'm not a telepath. And I'm not good at guessing games, so-"  
"Jounouchi Katsuya, _our_ Jounouchi Katsuya, just let himself into the Kaiba manor with a key. _After_ the guard at the gate had practically waved him through."  
To his dying day Honda Hiroto would swear that he heard the exact moment when Yuugi's eyes popped out of their sockets...

Slate-blue eyes wandered from one to the other.  
Then short, slender fingers buried themselves in wild strands of unruly black hair.  
"You're..a sleepwalker", Mokuba addressed his brother.  
Who sat there, on the guest bed, Jounouchi at a safe distance, arms and legs crossed. His younger brother frowned.  
"How come you never told me before?" Seto gave a half-shrug.  
"I didn't know it myself, until this summer. If I hadn't accidentally run into Jounouchi here, I would be none the wiser."  
Mokuba turned angrily to the blond.  
"And you? Why didn't you tell me? I'm his brother, for kami's sake."  
Hurt and betrayal painted the preteen's voice dark and bitter, when he spat,  
"Kusoyarou!" Seto's eyes narrowed.  
"That will be quite enough of that, Mokuba! You know that I do not tolerate that kind of language, not from you. As for why Jounouchi has kept it secret,"  
he rose to walk over to the other duelist and placed a supportive hand on this one's shoulder,  
"is because I strictly asked him not too. Currently, he substitutes as an in-house therapist of sorts, designated to record and report my sleep behaviour and keep me from harming myself while I'm dormant."  
Mokuba's eyes widened in alarm.  
"Hurt yourself? How? But-" Jounouchi interrupted,  
"The second time I met your ani, he was about to take a long walk of a short pier. Literally. If I hadn't been there, he most likely would have drowned at the port."  
Mokuba's jaw became slightly unhinged. His gaze flitting back and forth between the two older boys, he rasped,  
"Ho-honto ni? But..how?"  
Jounouchi sighed, as he rose from his spot.  
"I think it's best we show him."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
Again, Mokua's behaviour towards Jou is very manga-verse. As for the silver dragon chick...take it any way you want it.

 

+Donguuri-chõme: acorn planes/acres/estates; in Japan, the individual town/city districts are called chõme, whereas the blocks are reffered to as  
->banchi. Since the Kaiba mansion is most likely surrounded by manors of similar size, there are no blocks.  
For more information, try here: https://resources.realestate.co.jp/living/how-to-read-a-japanese-address/


	14. XlV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back again; this is more of an interlude than anything else.

XlV

"Marry me."  
Jounouchi was prone to being quickly flabberghasted at the slightest occurences, but this easily took the cake.  
Seto, fast asleep after a curt confusional arousal, had just proposed.  
Whether to him or someone else, he didn't know, but Jou was certain the brunet would remember nothing of it in the morning.  
Deciding to play ignorant and lock the brunet's words away in his heart, Jounouchi tried to go back to sleep.  
Those mumbled words however kept haunting his dreams.

~Seto held him in his arms.  
Cradling he lifeless body of the blond close, he brushed the long bangs from the face, then hugged him closely in a vain attempt to draw this one's soul back into his body.  
Jounouchi didn't stir.  
Hot tears welled up in azure eyes, threatened to fall, but Kaiba forced them back.  
He had to stay strong, if merely for the soul-void Jounouchi.  
Rising from the ground, Kaiba lifted Jou onto his arms and carried him away.~

They had him cornered.  
Jou gulped, as his two best friends homed in on him.  
Desperately looking for an escape, Jounouchi realized that the only way out was over the fence.  
And while he knew that he had no problems overcoming the obstacle, he was also fairly certain that Honda would follow and most likely catch him.  
So, he forced a nervous smile and asked,  
"Ja, minna-san, what gives?"  
"Tells us what you were doing at Kaiba's" hissed Hiroto.  
Jou blanched.  
Damn, how did they find out. Putting up a surprised, yet disinterested face, he replied,  
"I have absolutely no idea-"  
"Honda-kun saw you entering Kaiba-kun's house with a key!" butted Yuugi in. Jou broke out in sweat.  
"Onegai, Jounouchi-kun, were' just trying to help" pleaded the tri-colour-haired duelist.  
"Is he..is he holding something over you?"  
Jounouchi relaxed slightly.  
He could work with this.

Jounouchi was gazing at him. Seto couldn't exactly pinpoint the emotions; it was a mix of curious guilt and concern mixed with something else.  
"Yes?" he asked. Jou scowled.  
"What's eating ya, Kaiba?"  
The brunet gave a humourless smirk.  
"My company."  
It was supposed to be an off-handed joke, but he could tell by the blond's reaction that it hadn't landed.  
"Aside of that."  
Seto sighed.  
"The fact that Mokuba now knows the truth is kind of unsettling. He gets rather overprotective whenever he thinks I am not..well."  
Katsuya rolled his eyes.  
"Ja, ya should have told him beforehand, ne?"  
The brunet merely turned his head.  
There was a strained silence, then,  
"He resents me even more now, y' know?"  
Kaiba frowned.  
"I doubt that. Yes, he is jealous that I kept him in the dark while you became somewhat of a confidant, but-"  
"No, that's not it. He resented me before, but now he downright hates me."  
Azure eyes trained in on a slightly accusive face.  
"Why should-"  
"Jounouchi no _yarou_? He called me that since we first met. What ten-year-old uses that kind of expression in the first place? And with that amount of venom?"  
Seto shifted uneasily.  
"A..very book-smart ten-year-old?"  
Jounouchi sneered.  
"Now, he was reacting to the lies you fed him! You filled a young child with your own hatred to the point where he willingly tried to kill people you considered major obstacles! Who does that?"  
Seto's mouth opened and closed a few times, but Jou wouldn't hear it.  
"And never mind all the things we've been through, the whole lot of us, never mind the sacrifices I made, he still hates me. Care to tell me why?"  
The CEO pressed his lips together.  
How could he even attempt to answer that?  
Jounouchi glared at him for the longest time, then threw himself off the bed they both were sitting on and growled,  
"Y'know what? Whatever. I don't care."  
Grabbing his pajamas and overnight bag, he threw the door open and marched over to the guest room furthest way.  
The bang, with which the other door was slammed shut, caused Seto's airpipe to constrict.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Yeah, I know, putting the jaw-dropper at the beginning of the chapter is kinda weird, but it fit there best.


	15. XV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, a little emotional rollercoaster for our favourite bishes. Enjoy!

XV

He was crying.  
Tears meandering over his cheeks, Jounouchi strangled the sobs and gasps bubbling up from his throat.  
Seto was keening, wailing, trashing about, grasping at everything and nothing at the same time.  
Not for the first time, Jou was glad that the master bedroom was soundproof.  
Even though he considered Mokuba's help, he wouldn't, couldn't let the younger boy see his ani like this.  
He wouldn't allow it.  
So instead, with sparse, gentle touches and whispered reassurements, he tried to get through to the tortured brunet.  
"Shh, it's fine, I'm here, we're all here, everything's alright", he cooed, even as Seto flung himself side to side. An arched back, and then,  
"Shinenai de kudasai! Onegai! Please, don't die, don't die, don't leave me alone, please..!"  
Jou's blood froze.  
Kaba was dreaming about someone dying? No wonder he was in such an emotional turmoil. But who could he possibly be dreaming about, who meant this much to him? Mokuba? Probably, but Seto knew for certain that the raven-haired imp was sleeping peacefully in the room next door, so who-  
An epiphany struck Katsuya.  
His birth parents! Of course!  
It made perfect sense.  
He and his friends knew that the Kaiba kyoudai had been orphaned when Mokuba was merely three years old, so most likely..Seto must have witnessed the death of their parents.  
At the age of eight.  
Jounouchi clasped a hand over his mouth to supress the pained gasp threatening to spill out.  
Even the timelines added up.  
This year was the tenth anniversary of the tragic event that had turned the two boys' lifes asunder.

"Are you certain?"  
Jounouchi merely shook his head.  
He had asked sensei for a private consultation, one where the CEO was not present -all hail board meetings- to divulge in and discuss his newest discoveries.  
The doctor swayed his head from side to side.  
"Did he mention any name? Or event, time, place, anything?"  
Again, Katsuya shook his head.  
"Ie, not a word. But you should have seen him, doc, I-he-it's never been this bad. It's like..the worst case scenario had just happened and everything before was just try-outs."  
Sensei pondered, argued with himself, considered and reconsidered, then decided to overstep his boundaries.  
"Has he ever talked about..the both of you? Your..relationship?"  
Jou cocked his head to the side quizzically.  
"Meaning?" The doctor gestured helplessly.  
"About his expectations and..developments between the both of you..."  
Jounouchi broke into a broad grin.  
"Oh, if you're refferin' to his kinks, yeah, we've been working through those. Given, they are a little -odd, but not too bad. At least I think they aren't."  
He tapped one finger against his lips.  
"Though I still don't get the whole painting me like a tiger thing..."  
The doctor merely shook his head to remove the unwanted mental image, then pressed on,  
"No, I mean, have you ever considered taking this..relationship you have to..the next level."  
There was a short, uncomfortable silence, then Katsuya gave a half-lidded look.  
"Sensei, I doubt we can go any further than we already have. Unless you ask-"  
He stopped mid-sentence, eyes and mouth almost comically wide open.  
The physician could practically see the pieces come together in the blond's head, though he wasn't certain of the nature of said puzzle.  
Jou snapped his mouth shut, stood from his chair and, turning to the door, muttered,  
"I -gotta go. Thanks for your time, sensei."  
With that he was gone, leaving a slightly confused, worried physician behind.

The air shifted, and Seto frowned.  
He couldn't remember leaving a window open. Plus, the current seemed to come from the hallway, closing the distance from the staircase to his office door...  
A shadow, foreboding, silent, stood in the doorframe, looming over the CEO seated in his leather chair.  
Cool azure met cooler gold, a marron brow was tilted even as two blonde ones furled.  
"Usotsuki."  
Now, Kaiba had been called all sorts of names throughout his young life, but liar had barely ever been among them. If anything, he was known for his straightforward, often rude honesty dipped in sarcasm.  
So what on earth could have possessed Jounouchi to make such a stateme-  
The kiss was forcefull, eager, angry, near brutal, and Kaiba's mind reeled slightly. Releasing him with an almost audible plop, Katsuya buried his calloused fingers in Seto's chestnut silk and snarled,  
"You- could have just said something! Baka! +Okubiyoumono! Half-wit! Dumbass! You had the both of us suffer all this time, jus' because ya couldn't fess up?!?"  
By now Seto was beyond confused. Had _he_ lost his mind? Was Jounouchi having a mental breakdown? Had they fallen through a rabbit hole and neither one had noticed?  
Jounouchi meanwhile was seething. Here they were, one locking his secrets away until they plagued not merely his sleep, but his very health, the other one oblivious to the torture he caused the other one due to his presence, his very existence.  
Like an echo, he heard Seto's voice in is mind, and, still gazing into the slightly irritated blue orbs, declared,  
"Fine. Accepted. If it's the only way the both of us can get some decent sleep over the next couple a' years, I'll do it."  
Seto was completely at a loss. Yep, rabbit hole sounded just about right. Unable to keep his puzzlement from seeping into his voice, he asked,  
"Accept? Accept what?"  
Jou huffed in chagrin.  
"I accept your proposal, baka."  
Seto almost took a flying leap out of his seat.  
"Nan de? I _proposed_?!? When? Where? I certainly would never-"  
"In your dreams." Jou cut him off. Both stood there, silent, then Katsuya winced.  
"Damn, that sounded -awful."  
"I'll say", snarked the CEO, having regained his equilibrium. Standing at his full height, he glared down at the shorter teen.  
"What makes you so certain that I was proposing to you?"  
Jounouchi pondered a moment. Kaiba was right; maybe he had misread the in-between the lines..Leaving it all to chance, he purred seductively,  
"Ja, unless you wanted ta tie the knot with one o' yer Blue Eyes, I don't see who else you would consider hookin' up with."  
A quick flash of a blush crossed Seto's cheeks before settling in the CEO's ears.  
Jounouchi's jaw dropped.  
"No. Way." he rasped. Meanwhile, the red had returned to the brunet's face with a vengeance.  
"It was..a phase. A..very curt, awkward phase. During my..insane days. The Death-T times", he sputtered and Jounouchi couldn't help but melt at the utterly flustered, embarassed expression the brunet sported.  
Supressing a toothy grin, he stated,  
"Ja, in dubio pro reo, I guess." He closed his eyes, then squinted one to give Seto a doubting glance.  
"Ya still got to explain the whole tiger thing ta me, though."  
Ok, strawberry was definetly _not_ Seto's colour. And made Katsuya decide that in this case ignorance truly was bliss.  
Just as quickly, however, the red vanished, when Seto finally connected the dots and asked,  
"Matte, matte, are you under the impression that -I-I have..feelings for you?"  
Jou regarded him uncertain.  
"Ja, well, I mean, with all the kink and marriage proposal and stuff I figured you were ..crushing..on..me..?"  
His voice got smaller even as Seto shook his head.  
"I don't know why and how you came to that conclusion, but the feelings I have for you stem not from love, but guilt."  
Katsuya merely stared at him.  
"Oh, okay", he finally said, sounding embarassed, yet Seto thought he heard a twinge of disappointment in there, too. Shifting from one foot to the other, the blond queried,  
"Why guilt?"  
The brunet stiffened in utter trepidation.  
This was it.  
The moment of truth, literally.  
There was no turning back.  
He swallowed dryly, convinced that the sound could be heard throughout the mansion. Drawing a deep breath, he murmured,  
"For..Battle City. For..letting you die. I could have helped-saved you, but I just- I was too far gone, too over-zelaous, too competitive, to care about you. Or others. I just -supressed my concience and moved on. I..bottled it up and drowned it in work, thinking I was done with it. Until it caught up with me."  
Silence stretched uncomfortably, then,  
"So all this, this entire dreamboat show and therapy and stuff and sex games is all because you felt guilty and couldn't admit it?"  
Seto nodded reluctantly.  
"Hai. Gomen nasai, if you-"  
Jounouchi's right straight-arm punch had definetly been forged in hell, the CEO decided, when the blond's fist connected with his face. Fortunately for the brunet it had been an instinctive reaction and not a full-blown hit, otherwise Kaiba would not have been lying flat on his back, watching the ceiling above him dance and sway in rythm with the tiny fireflies freckling his vision.  
He most likely would have awoken en route to the hospital, if at all.  
Jounouchi meanwhile rolled his shoulders, hands on his hips, and tilted his blond head back.  
"Finally. I've waited _years_ to do that."  
Bending over the brunet, he called softly,  
"Yo, Kaib', ya still in there?"  
Seto merely grunted, as he saw the two-three-one-three how-many-ever Jounouchis gaze down at him.  
Katsuya took in the brunet's disoriented, sluggish movements and slightly crossed eyes and decided that the CEO wouldn't be going anywhere tonight.  
With a sigh, he lifted Seto up, carried him in a fireman's hold to the master bedroom where he threw the brunet unceremoniously on the bed, stripped him to his boxers and tucked him in.  
"At least you'll be getting a good nights sleep after that punch. O-yasumi, ne."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Sorry, couldn't resist. For those who can't/don't remember that Jou is a pretty mean fighter, go here:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=348j0abl-IY

+Okubiyoumono: coward


	16. XVl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath and intermezzo...some things tend to get noticed.

XVl

Mokuba just stared.  
His mouth crammed full with multi-coloured, highly processed, sugar-infused carbohydrates(i.e. cereals), spoon paused halfways to his almost-emptied bowl, the preteen merely gaped at the angry swollen left cheek of his older brother.  
The cheek his ani nursed with an ice pack.  
The cheek someone had very skillfully covered with concealer and make-up to hide the bruise most likely adorning the CEO's face.  
Putting down his spoon and swallowing, the raven-haired boy asked,  
"Soo, what part of your therapy sanctiones physical abuse?"  
Katsuya, who sat at the opposite side of the breakfast table, snarled,  
"The 'I'm a stubborn mule and a stuck-up coward, who makes everybody miserable because I'm too proud to admit to a weakness'-part!"  
Black brows climbed up and disappeared under a fringe of the same colour.  
"So, same old, ne?" he stated. His brother merely shot him an icy glance.  
Jounouchi, throwing back the last of his tea, nodded as he placed the cup in the sink.  
"Pretty much, yeah. Hopefully this'll help get his brains back on the right track."  
Seto merely gave a delicate huff.  
"Seeing as you most likely gave me a minor concussion last night, it would probably take another hit like that to rerail them again."  
Jou tilted a brow.  
"I still got another hand, y'know?"  
Mokuba jumped up.  
"Ok, time-out, time-out, everybody take a seat and calm down! Please! Jounouchi-ya- _kun_ , no hurting my ani! He is your patient after all! And you-"  
he swerved to face Kaiba,  
"stop ignoring doctor's orders. The faster you get better, the earlier I can stop worrying about you walking off piers and falling down stairs and all."  
Jounouchi was taken aback -and then gawked at Seto's sheepish look. He snapped is mouth closed, cleared his throat and conceded,  
"Ja, well, ya got a point there, kid. I'll try to keep my temper in check. But only if your ani stops being such a hard-head, agreed?"  
Both Kaiba's gave their consent in more or less vague terms, and Katsuya glanced at the clock on the wall.  
"Kuso, gotta go! Don't wait up for me, I caught a double-shift and won't be home until ten! Ja ne!"  
With that, the blond exited the premises, leaving Seto and Mokuba to finish their meal.  
The brunet took another sip of coffee, even as Mokuba polished off the rest of his cereal. Placing the spoon into the dish, he gazed thoughtfull into its depth.  
"That..almost felt like..I mean.. _normal_."  
Seto merely uh-hmmed, eyes pretending to scan the morning papers, but never really leaving Mokuba out of their focus.  
Who drew a deep breath and added shyly,  
"It felt..kinda...nice."  
Seto didn't reply.

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Playing house, inadvertently...next up: drama


	17. XVll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this is a rather huge chapter, here. Life just loves throwing curve balls, as Katsuya and Co. are about to find out.

XVll

Seto was pacing in his bedroom.  
It was way past midnight, and Jounouchi was not yet back.  
Not text, no call and all his messages were either being ignored or went straight to voicemail.  
To say, the brunet was worried, would have been an understatement.  
Usually the blond would call in when late, or have his driver come pick him up, but so far, nothing.  
Zenzen.  
Nada.  
Zip.  
Kaiba resumed his pacing; it was not as if he couldn't fall asleep without Jou in his bed, or at least house, but it did make it easier.  
A lot.  
Blue eyes glanced at the clock on the nightstand.   
Two thirty am, and still not a peep.  
Kaiba decided to go to bed.  
After all, it wasn't as if his classmate couldn't take care of himself.  
At least that was what he kept telling himself, until he fell asleep.

Jounouchi trudged his tired body through the front door at five forty in the morning.  
The night had been absolutely exhausting, both physically and emotionally.  
He had sent a mail to each his teacher and the school principal that he would be missing school due to family issues and report back later.  
Now all he wanted was a hot shower and then fall into Seto's comfy bed and sleep it all off.  
However, his actions were interrupted by one very tired-looking, disgruntled and quite irate teenaged CEO.  
Who stood there, at the top of the stairs, managing to look intimidating despite sporting pajamas and unruly hair.  
Azure eyes narrowed, when he hissed,  
"Where the hell have you been? I've waited almost the entire night for you to return. But you didn't even bother to reply. Care to tell me what got you so preoccupied that you forgot about your duties?"  
Jounouchi, having finally made it to where the brunet stood, drove both hands over his face.  
"Back off, Kaiba," he muttered, voice sounding weary and drained,  
"I spent the entire night at the hospital. And I'm seriously not in the mood t' put up with yer drama."  
A chill ran down Seto's back at these words. Stepping closer, he asked somberly,  
"Hospital, doushite? Did- did something happen? Are you hurt? I can have you transferred to my-"  
"Nono, it's ok, it's fine now. Don't bother", the blond cut him off. Hands stemmed into his sides, Jounouchi contemplated the pattern of the carpet beneath his feet.  
Seto studied him, then asked,  
"What happened? Why were you at the hospital in the first place?"  
Katsuya didn't reply, merely kept staring at the floor. Seto scowled.  
"Jounouchi?"  
The aforementioned looked up, his eyes haunted and distant, full of remorse.  
"My father..almost kicked the bucket last night. Had a heart attack, at his bar of all places. Guess he got lucky; had he been home, he most likely wouldn't have been found until..until..."  
Seto could see Jou's adam's apple move up and down, knowing that the blond was fighting with his tears.  
Tentatively stepping closer, he queried,  
"But..he is ok, now? He is going to get better, is he?"  
Jounouchi sighed.  
"Yeah, it's just..the operation is going t' cost da bomb, and I dunno if I can cough up anywhere near enough cash, since we don't have a health insurance."  
Kaiba waved it off.  
"Let that be the least of your worries. I'll cover your expenses; seeing as you're something akin to my therapist and taking time from your family to aid me, it's only appropriate to recompensate you. Consider it..a favour for a favour."  
Jounouchi gaped in stunned amazement at the CEO, but before he could reply, Seto asked in a quieter voice,  
"What about you? Are you ok? You didn't get injured or anything, did you?"  
Jounouchi merely shook his head.  
"Nah, I'm fine. Totally wiped out, but-"  
Seto had crossed the remaining distance in a flash and, embracing the blond in a bone-crushing hug, whispered,  
"I was worried sick about you. I was so scared that you were hurt, that you.. wouldn't come back. Please, please don't leave me, onegai. I..couldn't bear it."  
Katsuya was stupefied into silence.   
Through is sleep-deprived brain, something tried to penetrate his conciousness, but he just couldn't get a grasp on it.  
Tenderly wrapping his arms around the distraught brunet, he murmured,  
"Ie. I'll stick with you, no matter what."

Katsuya awoke to the sound of silence.  
Which in and by itself was quite unusual, because normally Kaiba would coax him out of bed or, due to his nocturnal activities, wake him up inadvertently.  
But now..utter quiet.  
Jounouchi tried to rise from the bed, but after the third fruitless effort, gave up.  
He glanced at the clock.  
It was barely past ten.  
He had late shift tonight, meaning he could sleep until two in the afternoon, slack around and still make it on time to work.  
He furrowed his brow.  
He would have to check in on his father, though, if only to bring him the good news that Kaiba would be coming up for the hospital bill.  
A groan wound itself from his throat at the thought of having to reveal to his father the nature of his and Seto's relationship.  
Deciding to think about it later, Jou slipped back into a peaceful slumber.

"Honda Hiroto."  
"Hai."  
"Ishikawa Ryousuke."  
"Hai."  
"Jounouchi Katsuya- absent due to family issues", mumbled the teacher to herself, as she updated her attendance list.  
Yuugi and Honda shared a look, glanced over at Anzu, then focused on   
"Kaiba Seto."  
"Nh."  
The teacher rolled her eyes, but decided not to comment on the young CEO's rudeness. She knew better ways to waste her time.  
Once roll call was over, both Yuugi and Honda raised an arm. Their teacher shot them a look.  
"Yes, Yuugi, Hiroto?"  
The two friends fidgeted somewhat, then the shorter one asked,  
"Ja, well sensei, it's just, we wondered- worried, what kind of family issues Jounouchi might have? He never called or texted us, so-"  
"It is something concerning his father. And if he didn't bother to disclose any further details to you, then I have nothing to share, either."  
With that, the rosewood-brunette woman straightened herself and faced the blackboard, leaving Yuugi-tachi both anxious and troubled.

Hiroto hung up and drove a hand over his face.  
"So?" queried Anzu. Honda merely sighed.  
"Jounouchi said, he might come in tomorrow, depending how his father is fairing. He's currently still in IC, but awake. According to Jou, he had..a heart attack. Only barely made it."  
Tense silence fell upon the group of teenagers, then Yuugi piped up,  
"Should- shouldn't we go visit him- them? I'm sure they could use some cheering up.."  
He trailed off, when Honda shook his head.  
"Dame desu. Trust me, I know how Jounouchi works. He would appreciate the gesture, but still feel awkward about it. Besides, his father is still in intensive care."  
Upon the puzzled looks, he enlightened,  
"It's family only."

 

Jounouchi Hayato, standing at easily one meter ninety-five and a solid ninety-two kilos, gazed at his son.  
Well, glared, actually.  
The again, even the fiercest of piercing glares does lose its impact, when the person donning it is practically chained to a hospital bed, oxygen tube sticking from one nostril and several bags of various liquids seeping via an infusion needle into their arm.   
Katsuya yet fidgeted, his eyes hefted to the ground. Finally, his father gave a deep, infuriated sigh.  
"So, you went and did that to a helpless person", he growled. His son shrunk.  
Green eyes, so much like his daughter's, narrowed as they took in the blond's demeanor.  
"I..can't believe you went and did..that. Did..you not leave the gang behind so you..wouldn't become like them?"  
His tone was raspy, as he drew in ragged breaths, his face an unhealthy purple colour. Katsuya's head snapped up in dread, fearing for his father's already impaired health.  
"It's not like that," he yelled in desperation, "I mean, I would never had planned, but I-I've wanted him for so long, and then he was there, and so, and then-I-I-kami-sama, have you _seen_ him, 'tou-san? How-how was I s'pposed to resist? And-and he was so..quiet, and nice-and-and-I just wanted to know. I just.. _had_ to know.."  
His voice trailed off, even as tears of shame and guilt pricked his eyes.  
Being in Seto's arms, helping him through a nocturnal rising or a particularly bad nightmare, buried to the hilt in the needy, hungry body he had lusted for so long, or just argueing about nothing and everything(mostly Seto's inability to admit to his weakness), often made Katsuya forget that it had started off as technical rape.  
Scratch that, it had _been_ rape, and even if Seto held the sword of Damokles over his head, there was no denying that Jounouchi Katsuya was a loose criminal.  
Great.  
From petty offences and general misdeeds as a misguided middle scholar via the narrow road of redemption straight to a capital felony. Maybe the yakuza we-  
"And how is that therapy coming along?"  
Katsuya, startled from his train of thoughts, mumbled,  
"Nan de?" His father huffed.  
"That..therapy thing..does it work?"  
Again, the teen squirmed a little.  
"Jaa, it did at first, but then suddenly it got worse, and when I finally got it out of him, he admitted that it was guilt. That he felt -guilty about letting me die. Well, y' know, in Battle City. Don't know if you remember..."  
A heavy silence fell upon them, then,  
"I do. I felt it. Felt almost as bad as this little inconvinience, but much scarier."  
Katsuya regarded his father for a while. It had been a long time, years actually, since they had talked any extended period of time to each other without it turning into a fight.  
Golden eyes wandered across features that were a darker, fiercer mirror of Shizuka's looks, save for the hair.  
One might have called it copper during the dead of night, but actually it ranged somewhere between a strawberry blond and a pale hazel.  
Hazel streaked with ash blond, almost grey, and Katsuya felt a pang of loss.  
Loss of all the time they had spent arguing, avoiding, hurting each other, loathing and fearing...  
Katsuya bit his lip. His words fought their way up his throat.  
"'Tou-san?" Gold-green eyes widened quizzically.  
"Nh?"  
This time, he clearly had to fight for control, when he stammered,  
"I-mean, it's a little-and, y' know- I mean, if it's ok, but if not, it's just, I, I.."  
He broke off, drew a deep breath.  
A voice, timid and childlike.  
"Can I -can I get a hug?"  
He was staring a the white-and-yellow checkered comforter and so he missed the treacherous glistening of his father's eyes.  
The elder man gave a crooked half-smile, as he opened his arms invitingly, as far as he could manage.  
"Koko ni oide. Musuko."  
The blond leaned forward and into an awkward, warm, nurturing embrace he had missed out in over eight years.

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Hmmm, I could end it here*ducks various flying objects* just kidding, we still got ways to go. Here I decided to make Jounouchi's father a little less physically abusive and more neglective. Among other things.


	18. XVlll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mini-chapter starring familiar faces. Poor Jounouchi.

XVlll

Jounouchi gaped.  
Then gulped.  
Then put on his 'I-am-a-happy-little-working-bee-aiming-to-make-you-happy-too-façade and beamed,  
"Ne, minna-san, kon-ban wa, to youkouzo ni Sainou kissaten!+ How may I help you?"  
Honda Hiroto stood there in the booth he had picked, arms crossed, a dark cloud emitting from him.  
Jou's smile faltered slightly, then he turned to Yuugi wo stood next to his brother in arms and queried,  
"And for you, si-hurrk!"  
The blond shrank back when he got a closer look at Yuugi.  
True enough, his smaller friend looked very much like the King of Games that used to share his body.  
Complete with the ominous radiating aura and whirling hair.  
Katsuya was certain, had he still worn the Sennen puzzle, the eye of Horus would have appeared on Yuugi's forehead.  
And then his best friend rose his head and smiled sweetly.  
Jounouchi almost wet himself.  
"Ne, Jounouchi-kun," the blond cringed in fear,  
"we missed you at school today. It was the teacher who informed us that you were still not coming in due to family troubles."  
Jounouchi counted down the seconds.  
Gods, how far could Yuugi's smile stretch? It was creepy beyond compare.  
"We naturally figured you would pass by after visiting your outou-san, or at least call back or reply to any one of our countless messages."  
Great, now he was starting with the exaggerations. It had only been, like, a dozen or so.  
And there it was; ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mutou Yuugi's rarely seen, but indisputably intimidating stress vein.  
The cold running down Jou's spine felt like a glacier trying to imitate a snail.  
It wasn't until he felt hot breath in his neck that he realized that Hiroto had moved to stand behind him.  
"Ne, * _aniki_ ," growled the brunet,  
"we suddenly not good enough for you any longer? Did you decide, now that you're all buddy-buddies with Kaiba, you don't need us anymore?"  
Jounouchi groaned.  
This promised to be another endless night.

Katsuya was fast asleep.  
Laying flat on his back, snoring slightly, he slept, blissfully unaware of the CEO's ire.  
The CEO who straddled his narrow hips and scowled down at the sleeping form.  
Kaiba had been looking forward to introduce him to his newest acquiry, but the blond had merely kissed him deeply, sucked him off until the brunet swore he would write Jounouchi into his will and then, exhausted and sated, had curled up like a kitten on his side of the bed and been out like a light.  
Seto pouted, then shuffled off the bed to the small cupboard that contained all their toys.  
There was always the cockring.

Some twenty minutes later Seto's head lolled to the side as his eyes fluttered in satisfaction.  
Thank kami for REM-induced erections.

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Aka morning wood. I'll be taking a while off of this story, since the next couple of days are going to be rather busy. But don't worry, I'll(hopefully) be back soon with an update. Until then, take care and have fun.

+Hey, everybody, good evening and welcome to Café Ingenuity!  
*aniki: 'elder brother'; usually used as title for an older/higher ranked friend/club/gang member. Though the term stems from _ani_ (older brother), it is usually not used for relatives. Normally a sign of respect, Honda uses it here derogatory.


	19. XlX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just dropped in to add this -enjoy!

XlX

"Ne, Jounouchi, how's your father fairing?" asked Mokuba.  
While he hadn't really warmed up to the blond completely, the younger Kaiba had figured out that he could at least be civil to the other teen, especially in light of his father's critical condition.  
Jou merely shrugged.  
"Better. They put him on a diet and cut off his booze and cigarettes, so he's quite cranky. Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday in a week."  
Mokuba scowled.  
"That's a pretty long wait for a heart operation."  
Jou nodded.  
"Hai. But they said they needed his body to first work out the worst of the poison before they can cut him open. Something about his blood clotting up too easily -or too little, can't remember which."  
He frowned.  
"They're gonna cut a piece from his thigh arteria and use it to seal up the ruptured aorta. Or someting like that. They called it a shunt."  
For a moment, they both sat in silence, crouched over their respective homework in the study, then Mokuba queried,  
"How is it to have a father?"  
Jounouchi looked up from his trigonometry sheet.  
"You should know that best", he replied. Mokuba shook his head.  
"No. I mean, a _real_ father."  
The blond searched for the pree-teen's eyes, but this one kept them stubbornly downcast. Leaning back in his chair, Katsuya contemplated how to answer.  
"Ja, I guess there's a quote that says it best."  
He shot Mokuba a look, who returned it curiously.  
"'My friends I choose, my family is bestowed upon me.'"  
Mokuba considered this for a while, mulling it over in his brain, then finally nodded.  
He understood the feelings, the implications, the very complex nature of what Jounouchi was trying to convey.  
The rest of the afternoon was spent in amicable quiet, entirely devoted to their homework. 

"Kuso-!"  
How could he have missed him?  
Scrambling, Jou reached for some quasi-decent clothes to throw on and raced after Kaiba.  
The brunet was already halfways down the outside stairs, Jounouchi almost tripping over his own feet in his haste to catch up to him.  
"Ne, Kaiba, I'm here, I'm right here. I''m fine, everything's okay, we can go home now", he cooed, trying to coerce the CEO to turn around.  
Who kept walking on. The blond cursed under his breath, then decided to change tactics.  
"Ne, Kaiba, look at me, look at me, if you wanna safe me. That's it, you wanna save me, don't ya? Look at me, Kaiba. I'm right here. You wanna safe me, then turn around and go back, go back Kaiba.."

"Turn around and go back, you godforsaken bastard!" roared Kaiba, as he watched his former self stalk off direction his private spaces.  
All around him was pandemonium; paramedics, the doctor, Mokuba, Isono, Mariku, maintenance crew members, Yuugi-tachi and in the center of the entire turmoil, literally dead to the world, Jounouchi.  
Kaiba was seething, as he watched his younger alter ego strut through the heavy shielded doors as if none of the happenings behind him were of any concern to him.  
Seto drew a deep breath and screamed,  
"Turn around! Turn around and face your failure, you coward. Go back and show that you actually give a damn about-"

Azure eyes flew wide open.  
He panted heavily, sweat dripped from his brow, his pulse beating like a racing horse. One large, elegant hand wiped across his pale, strained face, then clasped over his mouth.  
Jounouchi Katsuya merely stared at him.  
Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, the brunet dropped his hand and returned the worried, understanding gaze.  
"It wouldn't help telling you that all is forgotten and forgiven, ne?"  
Seto drew a shaky breath.  
"Have you forgiven me?"  
Mahogany held sapphire.  
"No. Not really."  
Paperwhite eyelids fluttered shut.  
"Let's go to bed."

 _Abstract of record: logbook J.K. Project Luna_  
Nov.18th; 03.30am: sonmnambulic episode comb. w. night terrors. Still reliving B.C.trauma; self-red-redc-recrimination.  
Needs forgiveness to move on. Don't know if I can let go, yet. Feel guilty, too. 

There were days he really just hated his job.  
Rubbing both hands over his face, sensei shook his head tiredly and scanned the newest entry into Kaiba's medical chart.  
How on earth could this entire situation have become so convoluted?  
Instead of having one improving patient and one quasi-therapist, he now had two patients who were deteriorating.  
Jou proved to be both the illness and the cure.  
Removing him fom the picture would merely heighten Kaiba's guilt-fueled parasomnias. At the same time, his presence amplified the amount of self-blame the brunet slung at himself.  
At least, with him around, Kaiba was less likely to hurt himself and, due to their regular intercourse, still enjoyed a higher sleep quality than if Jounouchi had been absent.  
Yet, as long as Jounouchi had not overcome his implacapable disappointment and anger towards Kaiba(and, given the circumstances, who could fault him?), he wasn't able to grant him forgiveness.  
And without it, Kaiba's probability to successfully conquer his somnambulic risings, nightmares and what more were near zero.  
It was time to have a good, long talk with the both of them.  
Preferably one including a third party.  


Kaiba Seto disliked hospitals.  
Still, he had come here to meet the man who's surgery he was going to pay for.  
To be honest, he felt just the slightest pang of worry.  
Sitting upright in his hospital bed, hands folded across his slightly protruding belly, Jounouchi senior was regarding his son's patient of sorts sceptically.  
Kaib felt highly uncomfortable under the elder redhead's close scrutiny.  
Who let his green gaze wander up and down Seto's entire person, before nodding in consent.  
"I can see what Katsuya meant. Though, I would like to make one thing perfectly clear."  
He shifted into a more dignified position.  
"I thought I had taught my son better than that. Going around, forcing himself on people.." he shook his head in disapproval, before turning his glare on said son.  
"By all means, I should beat the stuffing out of our little centaur, but seeing as to how he is repaying his debt, I'm afraid I will have to let it slide. For the moment."  
Another dark look, which sent Katsuya seeking shelter in the opposite corner, then the ill man turned to face the young CEO.  
"Which brings me to the next point."  
He reached out his hand.  
"Domo arigatou gozaimashita for paying for my surgery. I don't know what I did to deserve this, nor how to ever repay you."  
Kaiba shrugged easily, as he held his own hand out for shaking.  
"As you said, Jou-Katsuya is working on it."  
He clasped his fingers around Jounouchi-san's..his hand was practically swallowed by the other one's.  
Now, Kaiba had large, elegant pianist's hands, but Jounouchi-san's were in a league of their own.  
Equally long-limbed, his hands were slightly calloused, though nowhere as work-roughened as his son's.  
Though the blond had obviously inherited his strength from his father.  
Plus, there was something in the way Jounouchi senior shook hands...  
Kaiba felt as if closing a business deal.  
All the nuances where there; the slight appreciative bow of the head, the precisely timed moment of letting go, the practiced, correct amount of pressure combined with the necessary eyelock...  
Curiousity filled the brunet. Obviously there was more to Jounouchi-san than met the eye.  
When he had first entered the room, he had summed up the sick man as a dead-beat drunk loser and neglective father, but now it was obvious that this one had stemmed from a far more affluent background than everybody assumed.  
Bits and pieces, fragments of conversations, snapshots of behaviours flashed through his mind.  
Seto realized, that would have to reevaluate his opinion of the entire Jounouchi-clan.

"A cultural attaché."  
Katsuya nodded.  
Seto merely blinked.  
He couldn't wrap his head around that this huge, burly man with the stringy hair, defeated attitude and washed-out face at some point of his life had called the museums and exhibitions of Japanese heritage his home.  
Or that he spoke seven languages more or less fluidly, though he had grown somewhat rusty where Russian and French were concerned.  
Or that the Jounouchi family's most cherised treasue was a Tokoname tea cup claimed to be stemming from the late Edo period.  
Katsuya grinned, as they sat in Kaiba's limo and he watched the brunet massage his temples to avert the impending headache.  
"I'm guessing, none of his passion rubbed off on you", he grunted.  
Jounouchi merely shrugged.  
"Nyeh, not really into pottery. Though I like -swords."  
Kaiba caught the slight hiccup, but decided against asking.  
There was only so much contradicting information, on what he had wrongly assumed the Jounouchi men were like, he could take in one day.

"You can either tell us, or we'll tell Anzu."  
Jounouchi stared in incredulous horror at his best friend.  
True enough, the usually gentle amethyst eyes were slanted just so, accenting the rather unbecoming, smug, calculative smile.  
"You wouldn't" rasped the blond. Honda smirked.  
"Try us."  
Jounouchi's mind raced; if he didn't come up with a solution as in ten minutes ago, he would be a dead man.  
Supressing a stammer, he opted,  
"Ja, it's really complicated, and I'm not really allowed to say anything. If you want the full story, you'll have ta ask Kaiba. Though I doubt you'll get anything outta him."  
The smile dropped from the shorter teen's face.  
"Hmm, that would be difficult, indeed. Not even a hint?"  
Katsuya shook his head.  
"Ie. If I did, Kaiba'd most likely kill me. Then he'd come for you, next. And I'd rather not think about what that perverted brain of his might come up with."  
He shuddered, even as Yuugi and Honda exchanged worried glances.  
Somehow, they suddenly didn't feel the urge to continue their research any further... 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Yuugi and Honda should just let it go..oh well. I figured I could let Mokuba have a serious conversation with Jounouchi. As for Katsuya's father being a cultural attaché..I just found it funny.

Tokoname is one of the great ancient potterys of Japan. A new, 'ordinary' tea cup cost anything between 25-80$. If stemming from the late Edo period(1603-1868), depending of the quality and condition of the cup, the price can easily skyrocket into the thousands.

For examples, go here: https://teatrekker.com/product-category/teawares/teacups/


	20. XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short interlude; a heart-to-heart moment between our two favourite guys.

XX

"Marry me."  
Seto groaned from where he sat at his desk in his private office.  
It was not the first time Katsuya had proposed, and slowly but steady it was getting on his, Kaiba's, nerves.  
"How many times do I have to tell you, Jou, I do not have that kind of feelings for you. You can't build a relationship-"  
"Do you trust me?" the blond cut him off.  
Seto paused, then blinked. Turning in his seat, so his entire body faced Jounouchi, he then attempted to read this one's body language.  
Not a shred of fear, a mere hint of trepidation, and oozing tenacity.  
Katsuya would never back down from his offer, no matter how often the CEO would shoot him down.  
It was a battle of willpower, and Seto knew this was one war he would be prone to lose.  
Leaning back, he answered,  
"Yes. Yes I do trust you. Though my brother and, I'm certain, your friends pestered you about our little...arrangement, you kept up your end of the bargain."  
He drew a deep breath, then continued,  
"You never once tried to exploit my -handicap, but did and do everything to keep it under the radar. For that I am immensely grateful."  
Jounouchi searched the brunet's eyes for the longest time, then stated,  
"So there's gratitude and there's trust."  
He sauntered closer, just the slightest hint of a sway in his hips. Leaning forward, he placed is hands on Kaiba's thighs and rasped,  
"And there's lust. Lots and lots of it."  
He climbed on the seat, placing the CEO's long legs around his waist. Clasping this one's head in both his hands, he whispered hoarsely against Seto's lips,  
"I'm the only one who can give y' what you want. The only one who can satisfy you, the only one able to fulfill your every little dirty fantasy..."  
Kaiba smirked, as his arms circled the lean frame of his -partner? Friend? Lover? Trustee?  
"Not all of them," he replied, nipping the blond's lower lip,  
"but certainly the most essential ones."  
Golden eyes, caged wildfire, caught excited azure in its blaze.  
"You spread your legs for me willingly, though y' have every right to seme. But you rather have me inside you, pounding you through the matress."  
He began to slowly move his hips back and forth.  
"You even dragged us both to your clinic for a complete check-up, just t' make sure that we're both clean, because you can' get enough of my semen."  
Seto _did_ moan this time, even as his fingers sought the hem of Katsuya's sweatshirt. The blond didn't stop him, but growled,  
"You're addicted. You're addicted ta me and you don't even know it."  
A smirk, sinister, dark and lecherous, as Jou slipped backwards off the chair until only his knees rested against it. He opened his fly and belt and, pulling out his engorged member, demanded,  
"Suck."  
Seto complied without hesitation, realizing that Katsuya was right.  
He was an addict, and his drug of choice was a gorgeous blond who had all the required assets to promise him a life of contentment and not mere sexual relief.  
All he had to do was to pay that one final toll.

That night, Kaiba slept peacefully without one single stirring.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Nope, not yet near the end. As for the hint of raunch, you're welcome.


	21. XXl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little laughter, a little sadness..and a little twist.

XXl

Kaiba Seto smirked.  
Jounouchi Katsuya buried his face in his palm.  
And Honda Hiroto and Muuto Yuugi stared in pure and utter shock at them both.  
Honda opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing but a few choked squeaks escaped his throat.  
The CEO had decided to put an end to their classmates' constant probing and tell them the(altered) truth in the privacy of the Kaiba mansion's study.  
Yuugi, shifting between blossom-white, lime-green and magenta #75, attempted to be somewhat more coherent, when he croaked,  
"Sex..therapy?"  
Kaiba snuggled comfortably into his leather chair, looking very much like the cat that ate the canary. Taking another sip of his Baihao Yinzhen White Tea, he glanced at his rival's wide amethyst eyes.  
"Judging from your expressions, I can tell that Jounouchi has not let you in on our little secret. Let me elaborate."  
Setting his cup down, he crossed one leg over the other and threaded his fingers together.  
"As you might be aware, my schedule is rather taxing, not to mention wears on my sleep quality. Formerly, I resorted to alcohol or downers, but those have more side effects than actual benefits. Hence me stumbling drunk across Jounouchi."  
He nodded at the blond, who merely glared at him through his fingers.  
"Needless to say, my physician was less than pleased and decided I needed a healthier method of relieving stress and tension. And that's when our pretty blond friend here opened his mouth and said, well, how did you put it?"  
The brunet pretended to ponder for a moment.  
"Ah, yes, you claimed that 'there's nothing a good lay can't fix', ne?"  
Katsuya darkly grumbled,  
"Stop putting words in my mouth."  
Seto merely tilted a brow.  
"Why not? Seeing as I have put just about everything else in the-"  
"YAMERO!!!"+ screeched Honda as he lept from the couch. Pressing his hands against his ears, he sputtered,  
"Just -stop! Please! I got enough bad images to scar me for a lifetime just picturing the both of you kissing, so -just-shut up, already."  
His face was a mask of ill-restrained nausea blended with a touch of betrayal and sheer horror.  
Yuugi meanwhile let his eyes shift back and forth between the two lovers, then cleared his throat and conceded,  
"Ja, I don't know, but I think you make for quite a cute couple. And, well, if you're both happy, I don't see what should be wrong about..what you're doing."  
A glance, as swift as a hummingbird's flutter, was exchanged, then Jounouchi lowered his hand and purred,  
"I dunno, Seto, you wanna tell him about the body paint and the tiger?"  
Their roaring laughter followed the two disappearing dustclouds well down the hallway and out the main door.

Jounouchi had decided to take upon the task of having The Talk with Mokuba all by himself.  
For this, he had chosen the library to grant the privacy of their little tête-à-tête.  
Though it had been fairly awkward at first, Mokuba had been far more accepting than either Yuugi or Honda.  
He cocked a brow, when Jounouchi mentioned that his - _help_ had come with certain stipulations.  
"Let me guess, no more canine jokes."  
The blond smirked.  
"He stopped callin' me dog names the minute he figured out it killed off my sex-drive, no matter what."  
Mokuba scrunched his nose.  
"Sooo didn't need to know that", he winced.  
Jou grinned widely, and the preteen was suddenly reminded of a predator.  
A friendly, caring, protective creature, but still a predator.  
He felt slightly worried, but then considered that when dealing with his ani, it was a necessity to be both strong and ferocious.  
Which was probably the reason why Seto had chosen the blond in the first place. While he clearly had the disadvantage, Jounouchi always aimed to dish out as much as he took and never backed down from Seto's dare.  
And his ani loved a healthy challenge.  
Still, something didn't click.  
At first, as he had noticed, his brother had been gradually improving his social skills and health, but now it seemed he had made a one-hundred-eighty degrees turn towards worsening.  
And Jounouchi was quite obviously negatively affected by this.  
For a moment, both were silent, then Mokuba asked,  
"So, what's wrong with this picture?"  
Jounouchi sighed.  
"It's..complicated."

Sensei gave them a sardonic look.  
"Do tell", he snarked.  
Jou blushed, Seto merely turned his head.  
The physician regarded the two teenagers sternly, then surmised,  
"This is eating you up. Both of you. And I'm guessing it's something that you, Kaiba-san, have not yet confessed."  
Angry blue eyes hefted themselves on the doctor.  
"I wouldn't know what else I _should_ confess."  
For a moment, blue warred with grey, then sensei adressed Jounouchi,  
"From what I've heard, the both of you got off with a rather rocky start, am I right?"  
Jounouchi snorted.  
"That's an understatement. Kaiba was rude, condecending, insultive, conceited, always out to humiliate me, verbally abusive and so -vile and cruel, it often gave me nightmares."  
Sensei started and Kaiba looked on in shock.  
Nightmares? His abrasive behaviour towards him had caused the blond sleepless nights?  
He swallowed the bile rising in his throat. With outright trepidation, he muttered,  
"Wha-what kind of nightmares?"  
Jounouchi bit his lip, staring at the floor.  
"Towerin' over me. Pointing out my every flaw, saying that I would never amount to anythin', that my place was at the very bottom, that I was a mere ..burden to the world and my friends. That I deserved to be crushed and thrown back onto the streets where I belong..."  
Jou rose his eyes, clouded with pain and unshed tears. He forced back a sigh and muttered,  
"You made me feel like dirt, even moreso. And when I awoke, the nighmare just continued, relentlessly."  
A deep, shuddering breath.  
"There were times, I dreaded comin' to school, because I knew that you would be there to fodder my self-loathing, my feeling of inadequacy."  
His eyes were a dark, glistening oak, when he rasped,  
"For a while I was actually..suicidal."  
Seto moved before he even knew it, pulling the other teen into a tight, desperate embrace. He could barely restrain himself from crying, even as Jounouchi's tears seeped into his coat.  
The physician stared in complete and utter horror. He couldn't believe that Kaiba Seto, his patient, would be so vicious towards another human being, pushing a person to the very brink of self-destruction.  
He watched the two high-schoolers for a while.  
Seto was gasping, heaving dry, choked rasps into Katsuya's temple, while the blond merely hung there in Kaiba's arms, weeping mutely.  
Finally, the doctor drew a deep breath and stated,  
"Ths has to end here. Now."  
Both duelists looked up at him. Streaks meandered over Katsuya's cheeks, Seto's eyes were blood-lined with salty pearls.  
The two were unraveling, and fast.  
"I'm separating you."  
The boys stared at him, the began to protest. Sensei merely shook his head.  
"Dame desu. This is not going to work out. Jounouchi-san just admitted to you having been the very bane of his existence, and still you refuse to be honest with him. Your friend has been caring about you, being supportive without asking anything in return, and all you have done is take and take and take and take without a second thought."  
Sensei glared at the young CEO, who actually took a miniscule step back.  
"You have become an abyss, content as long as Jounouchi-san keept feeding you with affection and attention. You have been leeching off of him and buried guilt under self-verification and fear."  
Kaiba merely gaped at his physican, frozen in place. Finally, Jou cleared his voice and croaked,  
"He's right. I can't go on like this." Seto turned his head. Tired, deep amber eyes gazed into his.  
"I love you, but I just can't do this anymore."  
Pale lips opened, remained still for a moment, then Seto whispered,  
"What..did you just say?"  
Brown eyes turned sad.  
"I love you. I don't know how and when, but somewhere along the line I fell in love with you."  
He lowered and shook his head.  
"But this..it's destroying me."  
He paused.  
"And I can't save you."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
I know this is somewhat dark; but it just..fit. The anime tries to pass Jou's nightmares about Kaiba as somewhat corky, when in real they display the amount of both mental and emotional damage the blond suffers on a daily base by the CEO. Systematic, relentless mobbing is not something to be taken lightly.

+Yamero: stop/enough


	22. XXll

XXll

Seto lay on his bed.  
Clutching the pillow that still smelled of Katsuya.  
He had forbidden the housemaid to change the sheets after the last time Jou had slept in them, three weeks ago.  
The blond had returned home, taking what meager belongings he had left here for the duration of his stay.  
His father was out of the hospital, but still required help with many mundane things such as properly dressing, changing the bandages on his wound, organizing his medication and rehabilitation plans...  
Katsuya gyrated between school, work and nursing his father; barely ever taking time for his friends.  
His brow was almost constantly furrowed now, and there was a haunted look in his eyes.  
Sometimes he smiled, but his laughter was scarcely ever heard, as he seemed to pale and fade away.  
As if the brilliance, the golden hue that had surrounded him, was being dimmed by a grey veil of sadness.  
On the other hand, Kaiba had grown completely distant.  
Entirely introverted, he poured his whole focus into work.  
Gone were the novels he read during the less important periods.  
No more did he make sharp quips and comments towards Yuugi-tachi or any other bumbling students.  
Instead, there was a constant stack of contracts, spreadsheets and what not more cluttering his desk.  
And he had grown completely silent, only speaking when spoken to and even then only the absolute minimum.

It was six days later that Jounouchi got the first call.  
Frantically searching through his discarded clothes, brain still dangling between Morpheus' clutches, he found the offending object and snapped into the speaker,  
"What?"  
"He's gone, o-nii-san's gone! We're on the way to your place and Isono is heading for the harbour! We'll be there in two minutes!" yelled Mokuba.  
Jounouchi groaned as he drove one hand over his face.  
Back to point one.

He had told them to stay back and not to interfere unless he said so.  
Isono had managed to stop his employer's purposeful stride, but now the CEO merely stood there, unresponsive, as if waiting for a different commander.  
Or like a petulant child, sulking.  
Jounouchi shivered in the cold winter air; Kaiba had seriously picked some shitty timing for his relapse.  
Standing before the tall brunet, Katsuya took in this one's appearance; the slightly disshelved hair, gaunt features, dark circles under his eyes and...  
Jounouchi gently, carefully wiped at the faint smudges sitting just above the cheekbones.  
He didn't have to sample them to know they tasted salty.  
A deep sigh shuddered past his chafed lips, then Jounouchi rasped,  
"Ne, Seto, let's go home. No point in us freezin' our collective asses off."  
Gently, he let his fingertips glide down the CEO's sleeve and into this one's half-opened palm.  
Seto immediately closed his hand around Katsuya's and followed his lead, when this one began walking towards the waiting car.

Kaiba Seto woke up alone in his bed.  
Staring in disorientation at the ceiling, he tried to remember if he had been somnambulic the previous night or not.  
He shifted and recognized the tell-tale signs of an approaching muscle hangover.  
Obviously he had been.  
With a muted sigh he rolled onto his left side...  
Azure eyes blinked at the offensive, washed-out black cloth hindering his fingers from disentangling him from the bedsheets.  
His heartbeat sped up and a slight shiver ghosted down his spine.  
It couldn't be..or..?  
Tentatively he rose the soft fabric to his nose to take a miniscule sniff-  
The scent was a full-blown assault on his senses.  
In an instant, he was wide awake, his entire body tensed and shuddered in delight and recognition, his blood pumping, singing in his veins and expectation making his member stiffen and twitch as he buried his face in the faded sweater.  
Fuck the bedsheets; they could burn them for all that he cared.  
This was a thousand times better-  
His head shot up from the garment, when realization hit him.  
Jounouchi had been here, must have been here last night. He had probably brought him home and left his pullover behind as a comfort blanket, hoping that his scent would help the brunet relax and sleep undisturbed.  
Obviously, it had worked.  
Seto smiled, then his face darkened.  
That meant, the blond must have gone home without a sweater, and even if Mokuba or Isono had given him one of his, Seto's, own ones as spare, Jounouchi still was one sweater short of a full winter garderobe.  
Absolutely inacceptable.

Needless to say, the following afternoon Jounouchi found a parcel containing three high-quality, but not too obviously expensive, brand-new sweaters stuffed into his school locker.  
A small note attached to the top one read,  
'Trade you.'  
Jounouchi blinked repeatedly at the neat, familar handwriting, then stared sightlessly into the rapidly emptying hall.  
This was beginning to get really weird. 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
*cough* Sorry, should say 'weirder'. Then again, this is Seto, so...


	23. XXlll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ja, minna-san, one down, one more to go. Second but last chapter, and it's somewhat of a rocky ride.

XXlll

This wasn't Battle City.  
It looked like it, but it certainly wasn't.  
If anything, it resembled Alcatraz.  
And then again, not at all.  
Kaiba didn't bother finding out exactly what it was.  
Turning around his own axis, he gave the entire surroundings a cursory glance, then began walking towards the tower he could spot in a not too far away distance.  
He knew what he would find even before he heard the defeaning roar. Breaking into a sprint, Kaiba made it just in time-  
to see his beloved Blue Eyes standing on Jounouchi's side of the field. For a moment, he was baffled.  
From where he stood, the sunlight reflected off the magnificent beast's scales onto the blond duelist, setting this one's hair aflame in vibrant bursts of gold.  
Kaiba shielded his eyes against the onslaught of so much light like a creature of darkness shies away from the sun.  
He could hear his own outraged cry of indignance, the dragon's scream as he summoned his second Blue Eyes, the Imperial Seahorse, his relentless attack on Jounouchi...   
No, this hadn't been a mere act of revenge nor an attempt of teaching the blond a lesson.  
There was too much hatred, too much hurt pride involved to call this retaliation.  
It had been pure carnage.  
Seto realized it, as he watched his other self spit insults and cheap, condescending blows at the other duelist, the only duelist who had ever been capable to do what even the pharao had failed to achieve:  
to steal his beloved Blue Eyes from under his very nose and actually summon it upon the field.  
And it hat hurt him, truly, deeply hurt him that it had seemed as if the dragon had not objected to it.  
As he stood there, watching past happenings evolve, his old and new memories confirmed what he had known, had seen back then, but been unwilling to admit.  
Jounouchi wielding his Blue Eyes White Dragon just looked so..right.  
A faint snort, a smirk as he thought about the irony.  
Katsuya might have not been able to use the monster to its full capability, but he had conquered its master.  
And who could be bothered with the knight, when they controlled the king?

The first thing to disappear was his gym shirt.  
He had stuffed all his sweaty clothes into his duffle bag and this one into his locker before rushing to his next class.  
When he returned to switch books, his locker had been opened and the shirt was gone.  
It was replaced just in time for his next gym class with a new one, expertly washed and pressed.  
Next was his scarf; a pretty, red and deep burgundy thing his sister had knitted for him.  
This time he blew a fuse, yelling through the halls that he would personally castrate and strangle the bastard who had stolen his sister's present.  
The scarf turned up next period, together with a new one, black with a red dragon print.  
Jou sighed in defeat and wore it several days, even to bed, before stuffing it into Kaiba's locker.  
At least this way the brunet would stop walking around at nights.  
For a while, this worked well; Seto would buy new clothes or return the old ones, clean and ironed, for Jounouchi to wear and soak with his scent, and the blond would gladly trade in his used garments to be washed.  
His father laughed outright, when Katsuya told him about the trade, and stated that pheromones were a very powerful instrument in the mating process, particularly among teenagers.  
And then came the boxer shorts.

Seto practically flew down the stairs when his housemaid announced to him that Jounouchi Katsuya stood at the door.  
A very pissed off, near homicidal Jounouchi Katsuya.  
Kaiba's run slowed to a trot, when he saw the expression on his former..lover's face.  
The blond looked ready to tear down the mansion with his bare hands and incinerate it with the mere heat radiating from his body.  
Feeling just the slightest bit intimidated, Seto came to a stop before the blond, but before he could even utter a greeting, Katsuya shoved a soft lump into his hand and snarled,  
"No. Fucking. Way. In. Hell."  
Seto didn't even had to look to know it was the silk underwear he had purchased for the other teen.  
Who narrowed his eyes at him and said in dangerously low voice,  
"Honto de, Seto, just get over it. I'll wear the other things and give them back to you, one by one. But don't expect me t' go on with this detarame!"+  
With that, Katsuya turned on his heel and stalked down the driveway, leaving a very defeated Seto behind.

There was nothing left.  
No one there.  
His blimp, the arena, was deserted.  
Catiously walking across the auditorium, he called out for Mokuba, Isono, Yuugi-tachi, anybody who would listen.  
Nothing.  
The living quarters appeared to be equally abandoned, as he walked down the empty hallway and peered into each room.  
Silence.  
His steps echoed hollowly through the ghost ship, enhancing the feelings of loneliness and desolation.  
He entered the bridge that was just as quiet as the rest of the vessel.  
Kaiba tried the various knobs and levers, but realized that there was no power.  
With a mute sigh, he continued his exploration.  
Deeper and deeper into the blimp he traveled, never seeing or hearing a single soul. A slight unease settled into his bones, causing him to unconciously walk a tick faster.  
The galley, canteen, storage facilities, engine room...Kaiba searched and scouted the entire ship to no avail.  
He found himself in front of the infirmary, and his blood ran cold.  
He knew what he would find there and dreaded with all his heart to step inside.  
But he just had to know.  
Prying the door open, he walked into the sterile, cold chamber.  
Jounouchi Katsuya still lay there.  
Shirt pushed up past his collarbones exposing his lean, muscled torso attached to various cables and wires, a breathing mask covering his mouth and nose, the blond looked like he was asleep.  
Seto knew better.  
The slightest stagger in his step, as he neared his lover's dead body, Kaiba forced himself to take in every single, gruesome detail.  
The eyes were closed, a hint of blue on the lids.  
His full lips were slightly parted as if still carrying a whisper.  
No rose, no gold highlighted the tanned skin, but a faint ashen hue shadowed every speck of unclothed surface.  
Seto's heart broke.  
Long fingers unknowingly searched icy, calloused ones, playing idly with the stiff tips as blue eyes stung with hot tears.  
This, right here, was his greatest failure.  
Not the repeated defeat at Yuugi's and Atem's hands, or his failed attempt at rescueing Mokuba from Crawford's clutches on his own, but this.  
This possibility that could have, _should_ have been reality.  
It was by his sheer willpower that Katsuya had risen from the dead and returned to keep his promise.  
For all the good it had done him.

 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
Yes, _Battle City_ is still my favourite season; it did so much in regards to both charachter and story development. Not only for the protagonists, but also the supporting cast became so far more fleshed out than in the previous seasons. 

+detarame: farce


	24. XXlV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter and end of this little tale. Seto's being somewhat OOC here, but not too much.

XXlV

Mokuba had put a bell on him.  
A fucking bell.  
As if he were some house cat that could go missing when not within earshot.  
Which, according to Mokuba, was precisely the problem.  
"We can't have you walking out of the house in the dead of night, o-nii-san,"  
he had stated,  
"it's freezing out there! What if we don't find you in time and you die of hypothermia? Or actually fall into the harbour?"  
He had helped Seto attach the collar to his ankle.  
It was not an actual bell, but a soundchip interwoven into the fabric of the small cotton band.  
As long as Seto remained on the bedroom floor of the mansion, it would stay silent.  
However, more than three steps down the stairs or in close proximity to any open window or balcony door, the security system would activate the chime, thus waking Seto up while simultaneously alerting Mokuba and Isono.  
It was not an ideal solution, but combined with the scent of Jounouchi's used clothes(Mokuba had joked that there were more clothes than actual sheets on Seto's bed) still preferable than no warning system at all.  
Yet, it proofed to be quite a task to coax the CEO back into bed, once he was up and about, and while he gradually wandered around less, he often screamed himself awake to an empty room.

He sighed.  
"Stop it."  
Kaiba merely nuzzled his face deeper into the blond mop, inhaling its sweet, musky scent.  
"Mnh."  
Jounouchi rolled his eyes. Tomorrow was Christmas and the beginning of winter holidays, and he had come over to bring every single clothing article he could spare the next two weeks to Seto.  
And now they stood in the entry hall, Jou still holding the duffle bag with Seto wrapped tightly around him like a bipedaled squid.  
"You can let go now, y' know?"  
Seto didn't answer, merely shifted and moved languidly.  
When he began a slow, rocking motion and his hands started roaming the blond's frame, Jou huffed, then quipped,  
"Ja, why not. Since it's Christmas..."  
He stepped out of the embrace, flashed the confused Seto a quick smile and kissed him.  
Seto responded immediately; there was nothing sweet or couth about the way their lips locked, but a ravenous, desperate hunger for what they had missed out on.  
Several times they stumbled, once almost fell up the stairs, as they made their way to Seto's bedroom, bag of clothes forgotten where it lay next to the door.  
Kicking the door shut and locking it, Seto devoured Katsuya with his eyes as he watched the other teen pull sweater and shirt over his head in one go, exposing his well-toned body to the brunet.  
A yelp of pained surprise, as Jou lept back and looked down.  
Seto had bit him, just below his left pectoral muscle. Golden eyes glanced down in worry.  
"Seto?"  
The brunet didn't answer; slow, ragged breaths escaping his half-opened mouth, ghosting over Katsuya's ribcage.  
The blond pushed the young CEO into an upright position and growled,  
"Let's get you prepared."  
A smug, tight smirk.  
"I came prepared."

It was not healthy what they were doing.  
I was not sane what they were doing.  
It would have been better if they had kept their distance, to give themselves time to heal over.  
But it didn't matter.  
This was more important.  
It was too important.  
Jou had no intention of being loving or careful or gentle.  
All that mattered to him was to pump his seed as deep and as often as he could into Seto's body.  
Seto, who was starving, insatiable, demanding, greedy, desperate and exhilarated, screaming with joy.  
There were no tiger stripes, but claw marks. Love bites. Snarls, growls, nips and licks, hair pulled and skin breached until blood showed.  
Red welts, bruises tantamount to turn purple over time, protesting shrieks and sinister chuckles, wild roars and angry shouts and an endless, dizzying, all-consuming, violent spiral of lust.  
Eventually, the raging battle subsided.  
Jounouchi panted, trying to get a simple molecule of air into his burning lungs, his sight dotted with black spots and sparkling flecks.  
Pulling out of and collapsing on the soaked matress next to the brunet, he croaked,  
"K'so, huh-huh, I feel -like- hah -Ah fuck'd a horse!"  
A low groan.  
"I'm sure _I_ did."  
Katsuya, still gasping, grinned.  
"I- hah- I'm not _that_ big."  
Seto merely grunted.  
"Honto ni? Because I can't feel my legs anymore."  
Katsuya chuckled.  
"Babe, I could shove a grenade up your ass and pull the pin and you'd never know."  
Tired, azure eyes gave him a lazy glance.  
"That's what you did during round three, ne? Because I could swear I felt my eardrums pop, when you came."  
This time, Katsuya laughed.  
It almost made Seto's heart stop.  
It was a good, hearty laugh, not the usual guffaws or a full-blown belly laugh, but low and honest.  
Rolling over, he pulled the brunet closer into a loose embrace.  
For a while they lay there, silent, content, then Jou rasped,  
"This was a mistake."  
"Nh."  
"A really, really bad mistake."  
"Nh."  
A short pause, then,  
"I don't give a fuck."  
Seto only smirked.

Katsuya told him good-bye the next morning.  
He stayed long enough to have breakfast with the brunet, but after that he told him it was over.  
That there would be no more kisses, embraces, lovemaking or cuddling.  
That he would slowly cut down Seto's olfactory supply, lest this one grew another addiction.  
He watched Seto die, there on the doorsteps, blue eyes empty and dry and unseeing, then touched the CEO's cheek one more time before he turned around and walked away without looking back.

That night Jounouchi Masahiro got a call from Mokuba, asking if Katsuya could come over due to emergency.  
Jounouchi-san shook his head and denied, as he looked down sadly at the wreck that used to be his son.

With the new year came old pain.  
Yuugi and Honda gazed sadly at their friends.  
They weren't fighting, weren't talking, barely glanced at each other and yet, whenever their eyes met, it was heartbreaking just to see the longing in them.  
Often, Jou would reach out as if to touch the other, but his arm always fell away, limp, unused.  
Time and time again Seto opened his mouth as if to say something, but then a haunted look would pass over his face and he turned away.  
Mokuba, Isono, Jounouchi senior, sensei; everybody who knew about their condition, their relationsip, tried to coax them back together, but to no avail.  
There was still too much unresolved, still a vault of secrets looming over them like a gigantic shadow, threatening to destroy them, should they reunite again.  
Winter at Domino High had rarely ever felt so cold and dark.

Finally, it escalated.  
One day Seto bodily hauled Katsuya into the most distant bathroom, locked the door with the key he had demanded from the janitor, then stood there, panting, staring at the confused, but wary Jounouchi.  
For a moment, they remained like that, unmoving, then a pained, desperate sob forced itself from Seto's throat and the brunet slumped to his knees.  
Katsuya's eyes widened in horrified astonishment, when strong arms wrapped themselves around his legs and Seto buried his face in his crotch, crying.  
"Please, please don't push me away. I just -I just can't bare it",  
he uttered brokenly. He inhaled deeply, and his heart clenched in yearning at the familiar scent.  
"I- miss you so much, Katsuya. Please, come back. I promise I'll try to better myself, to give you what you need, but..please come back. I-I need you so much."  
Warm, soft-mannered hands glid gently over auburn hair.  
"Is that all you have to tell me?"  
Seto craned his neck, looking into warm, expectant honey orbs.  
"I'm yours. For as long as you want me, I'm yours."  
He swallowed audibly.  
"I love you. I wanted you from the very moment I set eyes on you, but I couldn't jeopardize my position. And when I saw you with Kujaku, and how freely you shared your joviality with the people you care about..."  
This time drawing air hurt.  
"I hated you because I loved you. Because I couldn't have you. So I tried to kill you, because I couldn't bear seeing you with someone else. If I couldn't have you, no one else should. Because I couldn't admit it..to myself."  
For the longest time, Katsuya merely looked at him, then rolled his eyes and huffed,  
"There. Was that so hard?"  
Kaiba's mouth dropped open. Stunned, he gaped at Jounouchi, who calmly stood there, one brow raised.  
Finally regaining his composure, Seto croaked,  
"You..knew? All this time, and you..knew?"  
Jounouchi nodded.  
"Figured it out a while ago. Thought I'd rather make sure."  
Seto's blue eyes turned navy.  
"You..put me through hell, even though you knew?"  
Jounouchi's expression turned serious; a somber, hard look Seto had never seen, never expected on the blond's handsome features.  
"I needed you to know how I felt. _What_ I felt. How much y' hurt me. You would have never taken that one final step on your own."  
Kaiba was..perplexed. Once more, Jounouchi had proven to be far more than the sum of what he appeared to be.  
A warm tingle echoed through his body, when Jou grasped his hand and kissed it.  
"Ikko, koibito. You still owe me a confession."  
At Seto's puzzled look, he grinned for the first time in weeks.  
"Ne, what's up with the tiger?"

Strawberry was _really_ not Seto's colour.

_owari_

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°  
And thus this little thryst has come to an end. Naturally, Seto still has ways to go before his insomnias are cured, just as Jounouchi will still have to find a way to truly forgive him, but I felt that it was okay to end it here. Thank you for reading and leaving cudos, and this here tidbit is dedicated you two, Tomsky_19 and Cleopatra(empressofthelight), since you were the ones kind enough to bother leaving a review. Enjoy!

 

"You want me to what?"  
Jounouchi was not quite sure he understood the words coming out of the brunet's mouth.  
Who rolled his eyes and reiterated,  
"I need you to put on this harness," he held up the garment(which looked like a leather jacket that had had a run-in with Freddy Krueger),  
"then lay on your back, your hands folded behind your head, so I can tie your wrists together and shackle them to the bedposts."  
Jou blinked in confusion.  
"Ara, I thought I was going to seme..?" Seto huffed in annoyance.  
"Just because I let you top, doesn't mean you're in control. Now, once your arms are in position, I want you to place your legs so that you can thrust effortlessly even when bound into place."  
"Matte, matte, wha-?" Seto grit his teeth.  
"Pay attention. Once you're bound and in place I will need for you to remain still, so I can apply the body paint." Jounouchi was flustered.  
"Whai-what, body paint? But, it's not like, gonna stay on the skin or somethin', right? I mean, it comes off in the shower-"  
"Don't worry," Seto gave a smug grin, "it's edible. And I'll make sure to lick off every. Single. Stroke."  
Jounouchi's mind had already melted at 'lick off'.

"Why a tiger?"  
"What?"  
Jounouchi flexed his fingers.  
"Why a tiger?" A pause, then,  
"Don't you like tigers?" Golden eyes blinked.  
"Sure, but that's not-"  
"Or were you expecting a Blue Eyes? Even _I'm_ not that obsessed with them."  
Jou flushed a healthy red, even as the CEO tipped the brush into the small container and approached the blond's face.  
"Now shut up, I'm starting on the details."

"Oh fuck, Seto!" yelled the blond, tears springing to his eyes. Sliding the cockring on had been one thing, but the way the ball spreader snapped into place around his most prized possessions was just not funny. Seto cooed, raining butterfly kisses over the hurting area.  
"Shit! Kuso! You're one evil man, y' know that, Seto?" hissed the blond. The brunet merely smirked and reached for the bedside stand.  
"No, that was ony mean. Evil is, what I am about to do."  
Confused, Jou looked at Seto, who held various items in his hand and now ever so smoothly settled himself between Katsuya's knees, facing away from him. His thighs slipped underneath Jounouchi's, careful not to make contact, and presented is deliciously taut behind to the blond.  
Who couldn't help the slightly dumb, lecherous grin spreading across his face. Seto smirked, as he squeezed some lube onto his fingers and carefully began circling his own puckered hole. The long digit easily slipped inside, Seto working with quick, expert strokes, before removing his hand. It returned with something that caused Jounouchi goosebumps to erupt all over his body.  
"Oh sweet heavenly gods, no, please", he whispered, but Seto didn't reply. Instead, he turned to face Jou and began suckling on the prostrate massager, coating it with a shiny layer of saliva. He tossed another smirk at Katsuya, who by now was just swallowing in dread of what was to come, then turned back. Letting the curved, dildo-shaped item slide up and down his crevasse, the brunet was quick to find his lubed entrance and insert the tool inside himself.  
Twin moans erupted, when the device entered Seto with a faint slurp, and the brunet began twisting and turning it every which way, trying to expand his passage. He could hear Katsuya gasping, panting, and decided to switch methods. Removing the small aid, he reached for a real dildo this time and Jounouchi choked back a sob, as he watched in pure agony how his object of desire attempted to further widen its entrance.  
Seto decided to take pity on him, when he heard the bedpoasts creak in protest at Jounouchi attempts to free himself and claim the offered, flesh-turned sum of all his sinful dreams by force.  
Carelessly tossing lube, dildo and massager off the spacious bed, he once again turned to look at Katsuya.  
Katsuya, who lay there, sweating, panting, a low growl trying to wedge itself from the very pit of his stomach, erection standing proud, balls and gland an angry, shimmering red, eyes wild, golden and dangerous...  
Seto's heart burst; his entire being filled with such delight, such..fulfillment he had never known existed.  
Here he was, here was his tiger, his wild, feral, intamable, dangerous lover, and he wanted him. Only him.  
It took all he had not to shed a happy tear, as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest and he straddled the waiting blond.  
When the engored, heated member entered, stretched, filled him entirely, Seto knew he had found completion.

~°~


End file.
